ERDOGAN ANNOUNCES AKP MAYORAL CANDIDATES FOR MARCH LOCAL ELECTIONS
Prime Minister and Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday announced his party’s mayoral candidates for the March 28 local elections: Melih Gokcek for Ankara, Kadir Topbas for Istanbul, Taha Aksoy for Izmir, Menderes Turel for Antalya, Ahmet Kucukler for Erzurum, Ibrahim Karaosmanoglu for Kocaeli, Tahir Akyurek for Konya, Aziz Duran for Sakarya and Mahmut Aslan for Mersin. Speaking before the AKP Political Academy graduation ceremony, Erdogan said that the AKP had kept the promises that it made before the November 2002 general elections and pledged that this would also continue after the local polls. “Turkey will enter a new era of great change after these elections,” added the premier. /All papers/

GERMAN CHANCELLOR SCHROEDER ARRIVES IN TURKEY
Hosting a German chancellor for the first time in over a decade, Ankara yesterday welcomed Gerhard Schroeder for a two-day official visit. According to Foreign Ministry sources, on the table for discussion during the German leader’s contacts with Turkish officials will be bilateral relations, Turkey’s European Union membership bid, NATO’s upcoming Istanbul summit as well as the issues of Cyprus, Iraq, the Middle East and Afghanistan. Schroeder is expected to reiterate Berlin’s support for Turkey’s EU membership and signal his satisfaction at Ankara’s efforts to reach a Cyprus settlement. Schroeder is accompanied by a delegation of representatives from the German government along with businessmen, including Vural Oger and Kemal Sahin, two Turks living in Germany. Schroeder is set to travel to Adana with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend the opening ceremony of a Sugozu thermal power plant constructed jointly by Turkish and German firms. After completing his contacts in Turkey, Schroeder is set to travel to the US. /All Papers/

GERMAN PRESIDENT RAU: “IT’S TOO EARLY FOR TURKEY TO JOIN THE EU”
Even as German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder began a historic visit to Ankara, German President Johannes Rau claimed yesterday that it was “too early” for Turkey to become a member of the European Union. Speaking to German magazine Super Illu, Rau said that Turkey could only be integrated into the EU after fully implementing the EU criteria. Stressing that the implementation of reforms to the freedoms of religion and the press were very important, Rau stressed that this process might take some years. /Turkiye/

GUL’S MOSCOW VISIT TO BEGIN TODAY
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is set to travel to Moscow today for an official visit. During his trip, Gul is expected to meet with various Russian officials to discuss issues of bilateral relations, including security and energy issues. /Turkish Daily News/

DENKTAS: “WE MIGHT NOT REACH A RESOLUTION BY MAY”
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas cautioned yesterday that a resolution for Cyprus might not be reached by May, when Greek Cyprus is scheduled to join the European Union. “We may reach an agreement by December, when the EU will decide whether or not to begin accession talks with Turkey,” predicted Denktas, adding that the two sides could also hold separate referendums in December, rather than this April, as had been stipulated under the current negotiations. Denktas charged that due to its status as a “guaranteed” EU member, Greek Cyprus would try to oppose changes to the UN Cyprus plan sought by the Turkish Cypriot administration during the talks which began last week. He added that he was working in harmony with TRNC Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat. In related news, Denktas is set to meet with Greek Cyprus leader Tassos Papadopoulos tomorrow. /Aksam/

PRODI WELCOMES ANKARA’ S EFFORTS ON CYPRUS
European Commission Chairman Roman Prodi said yesterday that Ankara’s cooperation towards finding a settlement to the Cyprus issue would be reflected practically in Turkish-EU relations. Speaking to Spanish daily El Pais, Prodi stated that there were two important topics on the Union’s agenda for 2004, namely approving a EU Constitution and dealing with Turkey’s EU bid. Commenting on German opposition leader Angela Merkel’s recent offer to Ankara of a “special partnership” with the EU (rather than membership), Prodi rebuffed the notion, saying the commission was not seeking new formulas and that no such proposal was even being considered. /Turkiye/

VERHEUGEN PRESSES GREEK CYPRIOTS TO BE MORE COMPROMISING
According to Greek Cypriot daily Alithia, European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen recently warned the Greek Cypriots about the possible negative fallout of a failure of the two sides on the island to reach a settlement despite the recent rash of international efforts. The Greek Cypriot daily reported that Verheugen visited Cyprus on Feb. 19 not only to show the EU’s support for the current negotiations but also to press the Greek side to be more compromising. “The Greek Cypriots shouldn’t be complacent, thinking that they’re going to join the EU no matter the talks’ outcome,” the daily quoted the EU commissioner as saying. “There are a number of countries ready to create new political obstacles for [Greek] Cyprus if they see the Greek Cypriots side doing less than their utmost in the talks. If Turkey fails to receive a beginning date for its membership negotiations this year due of lack of a solution on Cyprus, the situation will probably worsen. Ankara might then lose control, thus leading to the Turkish military’s gaining greater influence in politics. Such a development would adversely affect not only Cyprus but also the entire Mediterranean region.” /Hurriyet/

BAHCELI: “NO CONCESSIONS SHOULD BE MADE ON CYPRUS”
Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli over the weekend lashed out at the government’s Cyprus policy, accusing it of betraying Turkey’s “national cause.” “There are certain people in this country who want to sell off Cyprus to Brussels for the sake of EU membership, even though there’s no direct link between the EU’s Copenhagen criteria and the Cyprus issue,” claimed Bahceli. “Cyrus is a national cause from which no concessions should be made.” The MHP, formerly a government coalition party, currently has no seats in Parliament. /Turkiye/

GENERAL STAFF CONDEMNS RUMORS ABOUT SABIHA GOKCEN
The General Staff’s Office over the weekend condemned a recent spate of rumors claiming that Sabiha Gokcen, Ataturk’s adopted child and the world’s first woman fighter pilot, had been of Armenian origin. In a written statement, the office called Gokcen an invaluable symbol for Turkish society, underlining that throwing such a symbol open to doubt or suspicion would be harmful to the country’s integrity and national values. Gokcen passed away three years ago. /Turkiye/