GUL TO VISIT EGYPT TODAY
President Abdullah Gul will travel to Cairo today at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak. As part of his contacts, Gul is scheduled to hold separate meetings with Parliament Speaker Fethi Surur, Premier Ahmet Nazif and Foreign Minister Ahmet Ebul Geyt. Gul also will address Turkish and Egyptian businessmen at a Turkish-Egyptian Business Forum. After attending a ground-breaking ceremony for a new Turkish industrial zone, he will proceed to Alexandria. During his talks with top Egyptian officials, Gul is expected to take up a number of issues, including the situation in the Mideast, steps to preserve peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, and cooperation against terrorism. /Turkiye/

IN SPAIN, ERDOGAN TO UNVEIL ACTION PLAN TO IMPROVE INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday flew to Spain to attend the first Alliance of Civilizations Annual Forum at the invitation of his Spanish counterpart Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Accompanying the premier during his visit are Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, Industry and Commerce Minister Zafer Caglayan, Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim and State Minister Mehmet Aydin. Before leaving Ankara, Erdogan told reporters that during his meeting with Zapatero they would focus on bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments. "We will have a chance to talk about how to take action against international terror." Saying that 2008 is the 225th anniversary of Turkey establishing diplomatic relations with Spain, Erdogan added that the two countries will celebrate this occasion with various activities. Erdogan stated that at the opening session of the forum he is set to unveil a national action plan to improve intercultural dialogue and promote the goals of the Alliance of Civilizations. /Turkiye/

BAYKAL OPPOSES MOVING CENTRAL BANK TO ISTANBUL
Responding to the just-announced government decision to move the Central Bank headquarters to Istanbul, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday criticized the move. In a statement, Baykal said that central banks are symbols of national sovereignty, adding that issuing currency is the most important element of a country's sovereignty. Baykal said that Central Bank of Republic of the Turkey is the only institution with the authority to issue currency, adding that basing the Central Bank in the capital Ankara has a symbolic value. /Turkiye/

BARZANI: "WE DON'T HAVE TO DECLARE THE PKK A TERRORIST GROUP"
Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Giovanni Vernetti yesterday met with Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani in the northern Iraqi city of Salahaddin. Afterwards, speaking to reporters, Barzani said that his administration didn't have to declare the PKK a terrorist group just because Turkey had done so. He added that if Turkey is seeking a peaceful settlement, then they would be ready to help. For his part, Vernetti said that Italy recognizes that the PKK is a terrorist group, adding, however, that recent Turkish cross-border military operations against the PKK have damaged the Kurdish region's security and stability. /Milliyet-Turkiye/

DTP DEPUTY CHAIR CRITICIZES GOVT POLICIES, CROSS-BORDER OPERATIONS
Democratic Society Party (DTP) Deputy Chairwoman and Mardin Deputy Emine Ayna yesterday delivered a speech at a symposium in the southeastern town of Viransehir, Sanliurfa. Commenting on a terrorist bombing earlier this month in Diyarbakir, which took six lives and wounded 67, Ayna claimed that the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) policies had caused the attack, and recent Turkish cross-border military operations into northern Iraq had fueled the violence. "Violence breeds violence," said Ayna. "If some people are ignored, then they will try to prove themselves." Instead of clashes, Turkey is now facing war, claimed the DTP deputy. /Milliyet/

PACE'S LINDEN VISITS ANKARA
Rene Van der Linden, head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), yesterday arrived in Ankara to pay an official visit. Speaking to reporters at Esenboga Airport, Linden said that he was visiting to express his support and appreciation of Turkey's reforms set to be carried out for its European Union membership. /Turkiye/