GUL TO TRAVEL TO SYRIA
President Abdullah Gul is set to travel to Damascus tomorrow at the invitation of his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad. During his one-day stay, Gul will attend events marking the opening of the Damascus 2008 Arab League Culture Capital. The president will be accompanied by State Minister Nimet Cubukcu and officials from the Culture and Tourism Ministry. /Cumhuriyet/

ERDOGAN SPEAKS TO THE NATION'S GOVERNORS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended a meeting of the nation's governors at the Interior Ministry. Speaking to the gathering, Erdogan said that Turkey has made necessary reforms for its European Union bid. "If the impact of these reforms is felt in Istanbul, we urge that it also be felt in Hakkari, and our governors have an important role to play in that," he added. Erdogan said that once the terrorist PKK claimed that evidence of the state in the country's southeast, such as schools and hospitals, was lacking, but that now they can no longer do so, and the PKK is losing its power. Erdogan called on the governors to come out of their offices and meet with the public. "Our prime minister, Cabinet ministers, mayors and governors should help the poor," he said. He added that the government with never concede on security. /Aksam/

BAYKAL CRITICIZES PM'S HEADSCARF REMARKS
Responding to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent statements about headscarves, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday said that an attempt to create constitutional grounds for the headscarf as a political symbol would pave the way for the proliferation of political symbols in public places and even the Turkish Armed Forces. "This will be a major breaking point in the constitutional history of the republic," he warned. He added that Article 24 of the Constitution clearly calls making political symbols of religious beliefs a form of religious exploitation. /Hurriyet/

MHP SIGNALS SUPPORT FOR CHANGING HEADSCARF RESTRICTIONS
Turkey's conservative parties seem to be joining forces to lift the ban on wearing headscarves in certain places through changing the Constitution. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has challenged the ban on headscarves in universities and public offices, saying this week there was no need to wait for a constitutional amendment to end the ban. Opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli seemed to agree with Erdogan as he said yesterday that a "minor change" to the Constitution could accomplish that end. In a written statement, Bahceli said the problem could be resolved without sowing political and social tensions through adding a clause to paragraph 4 of Article 10. /The New Anatolian/

CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR WARNS AGAINST ENDING HEADSCARF BAN
In the midst of calls by some political leaders to lift the headscarf ban in universities, Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Public Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya said yesterday that lifting the headscarf ban would violate the "secular unitary structure" of the state. In a written statement, Yalcinkaya warned political parties not to violate principles of the republic, saying that efforts to destroy Turkey's modern structure would sow divisions and cause conflict. /Sabah/

TUSIAD DELEGATION MEETS WITH GOVT TO DISCUSS REFORMS
A delegation from the Turkish Union of Industrialist' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) yesterday met separately with Labor and Social Security Minister Faruk Celik and Health Minister Recep Akdag. The delegation, led by Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag, reportedly exchanged views on the government's economic and health policy reforms set to be implemented this year. /Turkiye/

CB LOWERS INTEREST RATES
The Central Bank yesterday announced quarter-point cuts in interest rates. At its meeting, the CB's Monetary Policy Committee decided to lower the overnight borrowing interest rate from 15.75 to 15.50 percent and the lending rate from 20 to 19.50 percent. /Star/

LIRA STRONGER AGAINST ALMOST ALL CURRENCIES
The Turkish lira appreciated against the currencies of 99 out of 100 countries last year, according to Finance Ministry data. The ministry yesterday announced the exchange rates for foreign currencies as of the end of 2007 for use in all types of debt and claim transactions in these currencies. The value of the lira ranked 83rd among the 100 other currencies included in the data, with little difference in the four currencies following it in terms of exchange rates. /Today's Zaman/