PRESIDENT GUL RECEIVES PARLIAMENT SPEAKER
President Abdullah Gul yesterday received Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan as his first official guest. Gul also received Ankara Chamber of Industry (ASO) Chairman Nurettin Ozdebir, Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Justice Osman Arslan, All-Worker Pensioners' Society head Satilmis Caliskan, and Ramazan Ozunal, head of the Turkish Muhktars Federation, a group of local neighborhood administrators. /Star/

ERDOGAN: "OUR DIFFERENCES ARE OUR RICHNESS"
In Parliament yesterday responding to criticisms made by opposition parties during debate over the 60th government program, Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan said that Turkey's differences were also its richness. He said that certain deputies in Parliament still avoided declaring the PKK a terrorist group even though both the US and the European Union had done so. Stressing that Parliament would fight for the nation's common values, Erdogan said his party defends four pillars: one nation, one flag, one land and one state. He added that Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state under the rule of law and they this was beyond dispute. The premier stated that his government was opposed to ethnic, regional and religious nationalism, adding that over the last four years under their first government they had invested much in Turkey's southeastern region. The premier also urged the opposition parties to offer constructive criticism of the government to help further the country's development. /Turkiye/

OPPOSITION PARTIES CRITICIZE GOVERNMENT PROGRAM
During debate over the new government's program yesterday in Parliament, opposition parties offered their criticisms. "We were expecting a more extensive program but we were greeted by compliments for past actions," said main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said, "Efforts to define ethnic identities as national minorities and provide constitutional safeguards by giving political and legal status to such ethnic characteristics are attempts to destroy Turkey's national unity and establish a new nation to replace the Turkish nation." Bahceli also claimed that the program didn't take a determined stance against domestic and foreign terrorist threats. Democratic Society Party (DTP) leader Ahmet Turk also took the floor to voice his party's views of the program. At a press conference yesterday alongside fellow party deputies before the debate, opposition Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Zeki Sezer alluded to the program's references to a "constitution of civil compromise" and "broad social consensus," saying, "We find this a positive approach. However, we hope the prime minister will not mix compromise with imposition, as he did until recently. We have concerns; we are warning them not to make attempts to alter the system." /Aksam-Cumhuriyet/

PRELIMINARY WORK ON NEW CONSTITUTION COMPLETED
A group of academics has completed drafting Turkey's new constitution as pledged by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) before July's general elections. "The second round of talks (over the new constitution) will be held with the participation of the AKP's political team and should conclude next week," Mir Mehmet Firat, deputy leader of the AKP, told a press conference yesterday. He said that after this second round, a draft constitution would be ready to be unveiled to the general public, universities, political parties, media and non-governmental organizations for further discussion and contributions. Stating that the new constitution would be discussed for more than three months and the commission would listen to all different views, Firat said the government would present the text to Parliament early next year, adding that through a referendum, the constitution passed by Parliament would be submitted for public approval. /Turkish Daily News/

AUGUST INFLATION FIGURES RELEASED
The Turkish Board of Statistics (TUIK) yesterday released inflation figures for August. Annual inflation on the consumer price index (CPI) was 7.39 percent, and 3.72 percent on the producer price index (PPI). On a monthly basis, CPI rose by 0.02 percent in August, while PPI rose by 0.85 percent. /Milliyet/