TWO DIE IN ISTANBUL SUICIDE ATTACK
Two suicide bombers last night struck a Masonic lodge in Istanbul’s Kartal district, killing two, including one of the bombers, and wounding six more. Some 40 people were in the building at the time of attack. An investigation is underway. Late last year, four suicide attacks against two synagogues, the British Consulate and a British bank killed 62 people in Istanbul. /All Papers/

TURKISH ENGINEER SLAIN IN AFGHANISTAN LAID TO REST
Tolga Erdem (29), a Turkish engineer killed in Afghanistan last Friday by unidentified parties, was laid to rest yesterday in Ankara. Erdem had been working for a Turkish firm constructing a road from Kabul to Kandahar. /All Papers/

ERDOGAN CONGRATULATES NEW GREEK PM KARAMANLIS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday telephoned Costas Karamanlis, the leader of Greece’s New Democracy Party, to convey his congratulations for the party’s win in Sunday’s general elections. Erdogan expressed his hope that the warming of Ankara-Athens relations seen under the ousted socialists would continue under Karamanlis’ leadership, saying, “I hope you will also take a positive stance to further develop relations between our countries.” For his part, Karamanlis reportedly pledged he would do his best to strengthen bilateral relations. /Turkiye/

GUL: “IF THE TRNC ACCEPTS THE UN PLAN BUT THE GREEKS REJECT IT, WE EXPECT THE EMBARGO TO END”
The United Nations yesterday officially accepted a Greek Cypriot proposal to hold simultaneous referendums on the island’s future on April 20. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that if the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) accepts the United Nations Cyprus plan in the referendum, but the Greek Cypriots reject it, then Ankara could urge the UN to lift the economic embargo on the TRNC. /Aksam/

EDUCATION MINISTER CELIK MEETS WITH HIS AUSTRIAN COUNTERPART
Continuing his contacts in Vienna yesterday, Education Minister Huseyin Celik met with Elisabeth Gehrer, Austria’s education, science and culture minister. Speaking to reporters, Celik said that the two ministers had comprehensively discussed issues in education, and had both agreed to remove negative statements in history textbooks concerning the two countries. /Turkiye/

CYPRUS TALKS CONTINUE
Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders are continuing their negotiations to find a settlement to the Cyprus issue. Following yesterday’s talks, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) leader Rauf Denktas told reporters that the Turkish side had presented a document to the Greeks concerning properties and biozonality. He added that simultaneous referendums had been set for April 20. “The citizens must take the realities of the situation into consideration and decide on the matter,” said Denktas. “For there will be no turning back from this decision.” /Turkiye/

GERMANY’S ROTH: “TURKEY BELONGS TO THE EU”
Turkey belongs to the European Union, said German Commissioner for Human Rights Claudia Roth yesterday. Speaking to reporters, Roth praised Ankara’s recent reforms, saying that it had taken important steps for its EU bid. She further expressed Berlin’s support for the bid, saying that if Turkey fulfills the Copenhagen criteria, then it could begin its EU accession talks. “The EU would benefit from a democratic Turkey,” she added. Roth also criticized a recent suggestion by Angela Merkel, the leader of Germany’s Christian Democrats, that Turkey be given a “special partnership” instead of EU membership. Such a move would relegate Turkey to a second-class status, charged Roth. /Milliyet/

US REITERATES COMMITMENT TO END PKK/KADEK THREAT
A statement issued yesterday by Joseph Pennington, spokesman for the US Embassy in Ankara, reiterated President George W. Bush’s commitment to end the threat of the terrorist PKK/KADEK in northern Iraq. “This should be done so that Iraq will no longer pose a threat to any of its neighbors,” said the statement. Washington reportedly shares the same view as Ankara on the presence of Turkish troops in northern Iraq and believes these forces will leave the area once the PKK threat has been ended. /Star/

TOBB HEAD MEETS WITH IMF DELEGATION TO DISCUSS ECONOMY
Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu yesterday received a visiting International Monetary Fund delegation led by IMF Turkey Desk Chief Riza Moghadam to discuss recent economic developments. The delegation is currently in Ankara for the seventh review of Turkey’s economic program. Speaking afterwards, Hisarciklioglu said that he had briefed Moghadam on his economic expectations for this year. Hisarciklioglu added that high input prices were damaging Turkey’s competitive edge. /Aksam/

SABANCI: “IN SECURING A STABLE SECULAR MIDEAST, TURKEY’S ROLE WILL BE VITAL”
Over the last two years Turkey has made great strides towards meeting the Copenhagen criteria, said Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) Chairman Omer Sabanci at an opening ceremony for TUSIAD’s new Paris bureau yesterday. “Turkey is ready for EU accession talks, and it knows these talks will take many years to reach a successful conclusion,” he added. “Turkey will also fulfill its duty to help reach a resolution [for Cyprus], and I hope our Greek colleagues, especially those on the island, will do the same.” Sabanci also stressed that preventing a “clash of civilizations” is in the interest of the entire international community. “Securing stability and a secular system in the Middle East is in everyone’s interest,” he said. “Nor can this be done without Turkey’s participation.” /Hurriyet/

EASTERN/SOUTHEASTERN DAMS CLOSE TO OVERFLOWING, WARN OFFICIALS
Officials warned this week that the level of water in dams in eastern and southeastern Anatolia had recently risen sharply as a result of heavy rains and melting snow, and warned citizens that floodgates might have to be opened. As a precaution, some villages along the Euphrates River have been evacuated. /Turkiye/