IN NEW YORK, ERDOGAN ADDRESSES PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER MEETING WITH ANNAN
At a press conference yesterday after meeting with outgoing UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York, where he is to attend a meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was asked a question about the rights of Kurds in Turkey. He replied by saying that he is a Turk, but his wife is an Arab. "We've been married for 29 years and have no problems," he said. "The Kurds don't have a problem with their rights. This is so simple. They (the Kurds in the east) have the same rights as the ethnic groups in western Turkey. (Some people) are misinformed about relations between ethnic groups (in Turkey)." The premier stressed that there was equality between all citizens in Turkey. Erdogan further commented on the problems of Mideast countries and said that he supported the US' recent Baker report on Iraq. Opposing calls for new elections in Palestine, Erdogan said that the choice of the Palestinian nation should be respected. "The most urgent problem is to solve the difficulties in Palestine," said Erdogan. "Elections were held recently in Palestine, and there's no need for new ones." Also commenting on Turkey's European Union membership bid, Erdogan stated that Ankara's relations with the EU wouldn't stop, adding that the government wouldn't make rash decisions. Later, Erdogan met with former US President Bill Clinton. /Sabah/

HIGHER ANTI-TERROR BOARD CONVENES
The Higher Anti-Terror Board chaired by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul convened yesterday. During the nearly two-hour meeting, top officials of the board including Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, and Gendarme Chief Commander Gen. Isik Kosaner discussed recent terrorist activities in the country and what steps should be taken. /Turkiye/

FOREIGN MINISTRY'S TAN: "THE RIGHTS OF TURKS IN GREECE'S WESTERN THRACE REGION ARE BEING DENIED"
Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said yesterday that the Turkish minority in Greece's Western Thrace region has been deprived of fundamental human and religious rights. Commenting on the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers' decision at its Dec. 6 meeting saying that Athens had failed to take necessary steps in line with a July European Court of Human Rights' (ECHR) ruling that Greece had violated the freedom of religion of Xanthi Mufti Mehmet Emin Aga and others, Tan urged Greece to act with respect for minority rights. /Turkiye/

FINNISH PM: "TURKEY'S TRAIN IS STILL ON TRACK, AND THE FINAL DESTINATION REMAINS THE SAME"
European Union outgoing Term President Finland's Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said yesterday that Turkey's EU train was still on track and that its destination remains the same. Speaking at the European Parliament on Finland's work over the last six months and the EU summit held last week, Vanhanen said that the compromise reached on Turkey's EU bid proved that the EU has the ability to make decisions. Stressing that Finland was unable to secure fulfillment of the Additional Protocol with Turkey opening its ports and airports to Greek Cyprus as well as an end to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, Vanhanen added that this was a failure. Vanhanen claimed that Turkey was facing problems because it hasn't fulfilled its obligations for the nation's EU bid. "Turkey's membership process didn't stop, but it has slowed down," he said, adding that Turkey's future was in the EU. /Milliyet/

GEORGIAN PRESIDENT TO SEEK ENERGY ALTERNATIVES IN TURKEY
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili will pay a three-day official visit to Turkey beginning today to seek alternative natural gas sources, amid a Russian threat to double the price of gas early next year. The Georgian president, who will be accompanied by a delegation of energy and economy ministers, will meet with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Necdet Sezer today, and the two are expected to sign a trade agreement following a meeting of delegations. /The New Anatolian/

LEGENDARY MUSIC MOGUL ERTEGUN LAID TO REST
Ahmet Ertegun, the Turkish music entrepreneur who founded Atlantic Records and discovered world-famous musicians, was laid to rest in Istanbul yesterday. Ertegun, 83, died last Thursday in New York and was brought to his home country over the weekend. Following a funeral held with the attendance of family members, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and distinguished figures from the arts and business world, Ertegun's body was buried in his family cemetery in the Uskudar district. /Aksam/