SEZER PARTIALLY VETOES NUCLEAR POWER LAW
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday vetoed three articles of a law greenlighting the construction and operation of nuclear power plants. In sending the law back to the Parliament, Sezer argued that a provision saying that Treasury funds would be used to pay to decommission nuclear plants would impose a great financial burden. Sezer also argued that the law fails to provide a legal framework for privatization. /Cumhuriyet/

ERDOGAN TELEPHONES NEW FRENCH PRESIDENT SARKOZY
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday made a congratulatory telephone call to French President Nicolas Sarkozy to wish him success in his new post in the wake of his election early this month. During their conversation, Erdogan reportedly told Sarkozy that Turkey and France had cooperation in a number of areas as well as direct contacts, and that such contacts were needed to solve problems between the two nations. "Let's not speak to each another through the media," said Erdogan. For his part, Sarkozy expressed his condolences over a terrorist bombing attack in Ankara this week. /Milliyet/

FOREIGN MINISTRY: EVERYONE KNOWS THE PKK GETS SUPPORT IN EUROPE
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Levent Bilman yesterday reiterated a call for international cooperation against terrorism, saying that Turkey had long urged its allies to work together more closely on this. In his weekly press conference, addressing recent remarks by Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, Bilman said that everybody knew that there were subsidiary companies in Europe supporting the terrorist PKK. "This doesn't show that these countries give direct support," he added. "We always continue our initiatives to end the activities of these groups in these countries." Bilman also said that the Iraqi government in Baghdad had recently told Turkey of its intention to cooperate against PKK terrorism. Bilman also said that these issues would be discussed during the weekend visit to Baghdad of Oguz Celikkol, Turkey's special envoy to Iraq. /Star/

EUROPEAN COMMISSION: NO COUNTRY'S CANDIDATE STATUS HAS EVER BEEN REVOKED
European Union Commission spokesman Johannes Laitenberger said yesterday that Turkey's EU membership bid and the bloc's enlargement policy would not be up for discussion in the EU anytime soon. Speaking to reporters yesterday about this week's meeting in Brussels between EU Commissioner Jose Manuel Barroso and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is strongly opposed to Turkey's EU membership, Laitenberger said that in the bloc's history no country's candidate status has ever been revoked, adding that the beginning of membership talks and the opening and closing of negotiations chapters are decided on unanimously by the EU member states. /Turkiye/

REHN: WE HAVE A STRONG MANDATE TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS WITH TURKEY
In the face of continued opposition by new French President Nicholas Sarkozy, European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn yesterday reaffirmed Turkey's path to EU membership. "We got a strong mandate from the member countries to continue negotiations with Turkey," he said. "The EU Commission thinks that the negotiations should be continued. This serves both Turkey and the EU's interests. If the negotiations end in success, Turkey would be an even more important bridge between civilizations." /Star/

PKK MINE KILLS SIX SOLDIERS
Yesterday a mine laid on the road by terrorist PKK militants in Sirnak killed six soldiers and left 10 others wounded. A ceremony for the fallen was held in Siirt with the attendance of the soldiers' families and Interior Minister Osman Gunes. Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc and Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit messages of condolences. Following the incident, a wide crackdown began in the region. /Hurriyet/

POLICE PROBING TERRORIST TIES OF SUICIDE BOMBER
Police are continuing to investigate the terrorist bomb attack Tuesday in Ankara's crowded Ulus shopping district which resulted in six deaths and nearly 100 injuries. Ties that suicide bomber Guven Akkus, who triggered the plastic explosives, may have had with illegal organizations are also being looked at by security forces. Using human remains and other evidence at the scene of the attack, Ankara Police forensic units were able to identify the suicide bomber as 28-year-old Akkus. Investigations are now focused on the possibility that Akkus had ties to the terrorist PKK or its Kongra-Gel affiliate. /Today's Zaman/

TOP LEADERS TO OBSERVE MILITARY EXERCISES
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul as well as force commanders will observe the Efes 2007 and Denizkurdu 2007 exercises set to begin today in the Aegean Sea. Some 10,000 soldiers are expected to take part in the exercises. /Turkiye/

OECD: TURKEY'S ECONOMY WILL GROW AROUND 6 PERCENT THROUGH 2008
The Organization for Economy and Development (OECD) projected yesterday that barring unforeseen developments, Turkey's economy will grow at around 6 percent in 2007-2008. In its semiannual World Economic Outlook Report, the OECD stressed that if macroeconomic policy institutions are strengthened and new structural reforms gain credibility, and if business investments hold steady after July's general elections, a 7 percent long-term growth potential is within striking distance. The report added that in order to sustain Turkey's rapid growth, curbing the informal economy should be prioritized. /The New Anatolian/