SEZER, ERDOGAN MARK 86TH ANNIVERSARY OF TURKISH NATIONAL ANTHEM
Speaking at a ceremony held at Parliament yesterday marking the 86th anniversary of the Turkish national anthem, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the anthem was the nation's common voice and conscience, adding that it holds an important place in history since it shows the ideals which enabled the nation to triumph in the Turkish War of Independence. "The anthem is a document which stresses our necessary national unity," said Erdogan. Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, and most of the Cabinet ministers were present at the ceremony. In related news, in his message marking the day President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated that the anthem was a symbol of the Turkish nation's unity together with its independence. Sezer added that the Turkish nation had won great victories in the face of daunting conditions. /Turkiye/

CICEK: NOBODY SHOULD BE FOOLED BY FALSE CLAIMS
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek yesterday said recent allegations that convicted terrorist group head Abdullah Ocalan had been poisoned were part of a conspiracy. After the Cabinet meeting, Cicek told reporters that there were circles which wanted to exploit this lie. "Following the poisoning allegations, speculations rose," he said. "We appointed three academic experts to get samples in order to make sure people aren't fooled by such false claims. There are people who want to take advantage of this issue to force officials to make certain moves." /Hurriyet-Turkiye/

DYP'S AGAR MEETS WITH BULGARIAN AMBASSADOR TO ANKARA
Main opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday received Bulgaria's Ambassador to Turkey Branimir Mladenov. Afterwards, taking reporters' questions about Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's remarks that there could be a surprise in May's presidential election, Agar said this nature of this surprise needed to be clarified. "We're in a process when common sense, not surprises, should dominate politics," he added. /Turkiye/

US STATE DEPT: "WASHINGTON IS OPPOSED TO A POSSIBLE TURKISH MILITARY OPERATION IN NOTHERN IRAQ"
US State Department deputy spokesmen Tom Casey said yesterday that Washington was opposed to a possible Turkish military operation being carried out in northern Iraq, adding that the US favored Iraq's territorial integrity. Casey further stated that the US was working with both the Turkish and Iraqi administrations to develop cooperation against the terrorist PKK based in northern Iraq. /Sabah/

BRYZA SAYS TURKEY'S REQUESTS THAT THE US ACT AGAINST THE PKK ARE JUSTIFIED
Speaking to Greek daily Kathimerini, US Deputy Secretary of State Matt Bryza said yesterday that Turkey was justified in its requests that Washington take action to fight the presence of the terrorist PKK in northern Iraq, adding that the US administration needed to show concrete results. "Not only the Turkish government, but also the nation wants concrete results," said Bryza. Stressing that cooperation between the US, Turkey, and Iraq to produce results was needed, Bryza added that Washington was opposed to unilateral action. Commenting on the Kirkuk issue, Bryza said that a decision on the oil-rich Iraqi city would be made by the Iraqi people. /Turkiye/

IRAN REJECTS TURKISH PROPOSAL FOR MEETING IN ISTANBUL
A meeting of countries neighboring Iraq , also attended by permanent members of the UN Security Council, was held in Baghdad over the weekend. After the high-level diplomat's meeting, Turkey 's Special Representative for Iraq Ambassador Oguz Celikkol proposed that a subsequent meeting of foreign ministers be held in Istanbul and that the meeting should be broadened to include D-8 members as well as the present participants. US Ambassador to Baghdad Zalmay Khalilzad, who led the US delegation, supported Turkey 's proposal, but the Iraqi and Iranian delegations rejected it, citing a decision taken at last year's meeting of countries neighboring Iraq held in Tehran saying that the next foreign ministers meeting would be held in Baghdad . In related news, Britain 's Daily Telegraph said that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would attend the meeting if it is held in Istanbul . /Cumhuriyet/

ISTANBUL TO HOST TURKEY'S FIRST CLIMATE CHANGE CONGRESS
The First Turkey Climate Change Congress (TIKDEK 2007) organized on the initiative of the Water Foundation is planning to bring together scholars and experts studying climate change from various Turkish institutions. The statements presented at the congress, which will be held at Istanbul Technical University on April 11-13, will be published as a book as a resource on climate change. /Hurriyet/