ERDOGAN VISITS UZBEKISTAN, COMMENTS ON FUTURE OF CYPRUS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday arrived in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, to pay an official visit. Erdogan was accompanied by a delegation including Cabinet ministers, deputies and a group of businessmen. Before his departure, Erdogan spoke to reporters on the Cyprus issue. “There are two states and two nations on the island,” Erdogan pointed out. “The main problem on the island is the acceptance of both states’ existence. If both of them are recognized, we accept this. If not, then we’ll take a stance similar to [those who refuse to recognize Northern Cyprus].” Although for years Turkish Cypriots have faced obstacles from outside against their claiming their full human rights, added the premier, they have always shown a positive attitude while struggling to explain their case to the world. Stressing that United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Cyprus plan was unbalanced, Erdogan urged that revisions be made to redress this situation. Commenting on last weekend’s elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Erdogan stated that the Turkish Cypriots had made a good choice by not preferring one side to the other, and that it was time to solve the issue by working collaboratively. /Turkiye/

GUL MEETS WITH JAPANESE PM, DISCUSSES BILATERAL RELATIONS
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who is currently in Japan for an official visit, yesterday met with his Japanese counterpart Junichiro Koizumi to discuss bilateral relations, recent developments in Iraq, and Japan’s decision to send troops there to deliver humanitarian aid. The two premiers also discussed how Japanese troops could contribute to Iraq’s stability. During their talks, Gul said that Ankara could allow Japan to use some of its facilities to provide aid to the Iraqi people. /Aksam/

DENKTAS, WESTON DISCUSSES TRNC ELECTIONS AND CYPRUS ISSUE
Tom Weston, the US special coordinator for Cyprus, yesterday met with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas to discuss last Sunday’s TRNC general elections. Speaking afterwards, Denktas called their meeting “fruitful and constructive.” He added that they agreed on the need for a resolution on the island but had been unable to reach common ground on some issues. Denktas stated that he had told Weston about efforts to form a new TRNC government, adding that forming a national government would be the best path. For his part, Weston said that only way to reach a resolution on the island was the United Nations’ Cyprus plan and added that this could be done by next May, when Greek Cyprus is set to join the European Union. Later, Weston met with Mehmet Ali Talat, leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), one of the four parties that won TRNC Parliament seats in the recent polls. Weston is expected to travel to Ankara today. /Aksam/

BLAIR: “THE UN’S CYPRUS PLAN WILL MAKE REACHING A RESOLUTION EASIER”
Speaking yesterday on the results of last weekend’s general elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that the polls proved the importance of making progress on the Cyprus issue within the framework of the United Nations’ plan. “The UN plan will make it easier to reach a resolution on the island,” added Blair. /Star/

VERHEUGEN: “TRUE TURKISH CYPRIOTS SUPPORT EU MEMBERSHIP”
The wish of “true Turkish Cypriots” was expressed in Sunday's general elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen told the European Parliament yesterday. “Most Turkish Cypriots want the resolution of the conflict [over the island's two nations] on the basis of the United Nations plan, and they want their membership of the EU,” added Verhuegen. “The Turkish government has an interest to use the window which is no longer very big but which is still open today to push things forward.” /Cumhuriyet/

VISITS OF GERMAN PM, FOREIGN MINISTER SET FOR AFTER NEW YEAR
German Prime Minister Gerhard Schroeder is set to visit Turkey in a little over two months, on Feb. 23-24. During his contacts in Ankara, Schroeder is expected to stress Berlin’s support for Ankara’s EU membership bid. In the meantime, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer is set to pay a visit to Ankara on Jan. 21-22. Among the major issues that the German officials are expected to discuss with Ankara are Turkey’s relations with the EU as well as recent developments in Iraq and on Cyprus. /Cumhuriyet/

US ASKS ANKARA TO REQUIRE VISAS FROM IRANIAN CITIZENS
US Ambassador to Ankara Eric Edelman yesterday visited Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu and conveyed a request from Washington that Turkey require visas for Iranian citizens in order to better control its eastern border. Washington wants Turkey to take more forceful measures to crack down on illegal border activities and global terrorism, Edelman reportedly stated. He is also said to have asked for strengthened security measures near Ankara’s US Embassy and other American institutions. /Cumhuriyet/

PARLIAMENT BEGINS DEBATE ON 2004 BUDGET
Parliament’s General Assembly began yesterday to debate the 2004 fiscal budget. In his presentation, Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan said the document had been prepared with great care in line with its key societal role, adding that it was designed to put the economy back on track and put an end to chronic crises. Debate on the budget is expected to conclude on Wednesday. /Turkiye/

IMF RELEASES $502 MILLION LOAN TRANCHE
The International Monetary Fund’s Executive Board, as part of its standby agreement with Turkey, has reportedly completed its discussion of the sixth review of Ankara’s economic program. IMF officials stated that a $502 million loan tranche had been released, adding that for the time being, some $16 of $19 million had been extended to Turkey. /Turkiye/

EU TO EXTEND TO ANKARA 250 MLN EUROS IN ACCESSION AID NEXT YEAR
The European Parliament approved the European Union’s 2004 budget yesterday. The 99.7 billion euro budget allocates 780 million euros for two candidate countries, Bulgaria and Romania, while also granting to Turkey next year some 250 million euros in accession aid. EU officials stated that the amount was double that of this year. /Turkiye/