ANKARA TO HOST WEEKEND CYPRUS SUMMIT
A summit on the Cyprus issue chaired by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is set to be held in Ankara this weekend with the participation of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas. In addition to Denktas, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok will attend the gathering. The leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing talks on the island and a four-way summit, including Ankara and Athens, to be held in Switzerland on March 24. Turkey’s sine qua nons will be underlined at the weekend gathering. Meanwhile, conditions for the Switzerland meeting are as yet unclear, and in particular the venue and level of participation. Ankara wants the meeting to be held at the political level. It is proposing first a meeting between the foreign ministers, and then the attendance of the prime ministers. A final decision on the matter will be made by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. /Turkiye/

DE SOTO, CYPRIOT LEADERS DO GIVE-AND-TAKE ON UN PLAN
UN envoy Alvaro de Soto yesterday met Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) leader Rauf Denktas and Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos and received a list of their requested changes to the UN’s Cyprus plan. De Soto will try to adjudicate their requests through a give-and-take method. The UN is set to seek compromises until Friday, and the give-and-take process is expected to continue in Switzerland next week with the participation of Turkey and Greece. The process is hoped to bypass certain shortcomings in earlier direct talks between Denktas and Papadopoulos./Hurriyet/

EP TO DISCUSS REPORT URGING “FUNDAMENTAL” CHANGES TO TURKEY’S CONSTITUTION
The European Parliament is set today to discuss a report prepared by Dutch deputy Arie Oostlander urging “fundamental changes” to Turkey’s Constitution. The report, which also praises Ankara’s recent reforms but stresses the need for their implementation, is set to be voted on by the EP tomorrow. /Hurriyet/

GUL: “ADZHARA IS A PART OF GEORGIA”
Stressing yesterday that Turkey was closely following recent problems between Georgia’s autonomous region of Adzhara (Adjaria) and the Tblisi government, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said, “Our advice to them is that Georgia should maintain authority over the entire country.” Speaking at a meeting in Izmir, Gul said that Adzhara was a part of Georgia. “We prefer stability in the Caucasus. This is to the advantage of both Turkey and the larger region. As you know, Georgia has problems not only with Adzhara but also with other regions. The central government should maintain authority over the entire country, and territorial integrity should be not endangered.” On Sunday Adzharan leader Aslan Abashidze had asked for Turkey’s help as a “guarantor state” in his dispute with Tblisi. /Cumhuriyet/

RULING, OPPOSITION PARTY LEADERS WORK TO WOO VOTERS
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday campaigned in Istanbul for voter support ahead of the March 28 local polls, while main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal did the same in Bilecik. True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar also campaigned in Kayseri, while Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli held rallies in Aydin. /Cumhuriyet/

JORDAN’S KING TO VISIT TURKEY
Jordan’s King Abdullah is set to arrive today for a two-day official visit to Ankara at the invitation of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. After his meetings with Sezer and Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, the monarch will proceed to Istanbul to meet with Prime Minister Abdullah Gul as well as business leaders. His meetings are expected to focus on the fight against terrorism, the Middle East and Iraq issues, and the United States’ Greater Middle East Initiative. The recent Arab-Kurdish violence in Syria is also to be taken up during Abdullah’s contacts. /Turkiye/

ERDOGAN: “I’M HOPING FOR A LARGER ROLE FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENTS IN BOOSTING OUR ECONOMY”
Speaking yesterday at a press conference alongside World Bank President James Wolfensohn after the first meeting of the Turkish Investment Consultative Council, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan touted his administration’s work to attract more foreign investments. Erdogan stated that the council’s participants had urged Ankara to take measures on a number of factors hindering investments, including bureaucracy, taxes, and the unregistered economy. “We’ve already cut the number of steps for investors from 19 to three,” said Erdogan, adding that under the recent International Capital Law a company could now be founded in Turkey in a single day. “Now the discrepancy in numbers between Turkish and foreign entrepreneurs has vanished,” stated the premier, adding that he hoped foreign direct investments would play a more important role in boosting the growth of Turkey’s economy. Projections call for 5% growth this year, he said, and single-digit inflation in 2005. For his part, Wolfensohn said that he believed Turkey would offer a friendlier investment climate after the implementation of certain structural reforms. Turkish Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu also yesterday urged the government to reduce input prices in order to help Turkish investors compete with foreign investors on world markets. /Cumhuriyet/

BABACAN: “WE HAVE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL STABILITY, BUT UNEMPLOYMENT REMAINS A PRESSING PROBLEM”
In a speech yesterday to the first meeting of the Turkish Investment Consultative Council, State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan said that though the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government was proud of having achieved economic and political stability, unemployment regrettably remained Turkey’s most pressing problem. “We should attract more foreign investments in order to create new jobs,” added Babacan. He stated that last year’s trade deficit was 2.9% and could stay steady this year and that Turkey’s 2004 gross national product (GDP) was $236 billion. /Cumhuriyet/