ERDOGAN TOUTS HIS ADMINISTRATION, BAYKAL CRITICIZES AKP POLICY
In campaign rallies yesterday ahead of the March 28 local elections, Turkey’s two main party leaders painted starkly contrasting pictures of 18 months of single-party rule. Speaking to voters in Van, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan touted the positive steps taken by his administration. But addressing a rally in Corum, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal criticized the AKP’s tax policies, and specifically its tax amnesty program, which he charged had benefited AKP-linked businesses. Baykal also turned aside the premier’s contention that the CHP is not a republican party. /Sabah/

GIVE-AND-TAKE PROCESS IN CYPRUS TALKS TO BEGIN TOMORROW
The Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides yesterday met once more as part of the ongoing talks to find a settlement to the Cyprus issue. Following the meeting, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas told reporters that the topic of upcoming referendums had been taken up. Denktas pointed to the difficulty of settling the future of a nation in such a limited time, adding that a process of give and take would begin tomorrow. In related news, last night TRNC Premier Mehmet Ali Talat and Foreign Minister Serdar Denktas arrived in Ankara to discuss recent developments in the talks with Turkish officials. /Turkiye/

GREEK FM: “CYPRUS WILL BE THE TOP PRIORITY OF OUR NEW GOVERNMENT”
The foreign policy path pursued by the new administration in Athens will enhance Greece’s stature on the international stage, pledged Greek Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis yesterday. Molyvitais said that the government would do its best to further develop friendly relations with neighboring countries, including Turkey, adding that the Cyprus issue would be Athens’ top priority. "It's still too early to say that negotiations will fail," said Molyviatis. "The Greek government wants a positive outcome of the negotiations so there is a solution by May 1 [when Greek Cyprus is due to join the European Union]. If the two sides fail to reach an agreement by March 29, then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will intervene. We hope that two sides reach an agreement by that date and can join the EU together.” /Aksam/

VERHEUGEN ACCUSES DENKTAS OF BLOCKING RESOLUTION, BUT HOLDS OUT HOPE
European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen yesterday charged that Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas had stood in the way of a resolution in current talks on the island. However, he stated that the negotiations between the two sides were going well. /Milliyet/

JORDAN’S KING, BRAZILIAN FM DUE TO VISIT ANKARA
Jordan’s King Abdullah is set to arrive in Ankara next Tuesday for a two-day official visit. During his visit, Abdullah and Turkish officials are expected to discuss bilateral relations, Iraq, and recent developments in the Middle East. Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim is also scheduled to pay an official visit to Turkey next week. /Cumhuriyet/

TUSIAD OPENS PARIS BUREAU
The Turkish Industrialist’s and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) yesterday opened a bureau in Paris. Present at the opening were State Minister Ali Babacan, TUSIAD Chairman Omer Sabanci, and Francis Mer, France’s economy, finance and industry minister, as well as a number of Turkish and French businessmen. Speaking at the ceremony, Babacan said that Ankara had implemented all of the required EU reforms and further urged France to lend its full support to Turkey’s European Union membership bid. The bureau is tasked with conveying the Turkish private sector’s views as well as proposals on Turkish-EU relations to French organizations and the public, and with contributing to the strengthening of Turkish-French economic ties. In addition, the bureau will work to promote Turkey generally in France. /Turkiye/

FM SPOKESMAN TAN: “WE EXPECT WASHINGTON TO KEEP ITS PROMISE TO FIGHT THE PKK”
Ankara expects Washington to keep its promise on doing away with the terrorist PKK, which remains active in northern Iraq, Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan told reporters yesterday. Pointing out that US State Department’s latest annual report on terrorism specifically names the PKK as a terrorist group, Tan also added that many top US officials, including the president himself, had recently pledged to take effective measures to crack down on the PKK. “We expect the US to keep its promise as soon as possible,” added Tan. /Hurriyet/

IMF’S DAWSON: “TURKEY’S PROGRAM HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL”
Turkey’s economic program has been very successful, IMF External Relations Department Director Tom Dawson told a Washington press conference yesterday. Asked if he had any ideas about how the Turkish-IMF relationship could continue after the program’s ongoing seventh review, Dawson said, “It's very much up to the Turkish authorities as to how they wish to proceed when the program ends. As I have said on a number of occasions, it has been a very successful program. When there have been issues such as in the present context, the need to make further fiscal adjustments or in other contexts structural adjustments, the authorities have always acted with dispatch and efficiency to achieve the program targets. That is exactly what the present mission is looking at, the steps needed to achieve the 6.5% primary fiscal target for 2004, as well as discussing some of the structural reform agenda.” He also expressed his confidence that everything is on track in Turkey, recalling that Reza Moghadam, the Fund’s Turkey director, is expected to issue a statement at the conclusion of the current delegation’s visit. /Hurriyet, imf.org/