ERDOGAN HOSTS FORMER MALAYSIAN PREMIER
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday hosted a luncheon in the honor of former Malaysian Premier Mahathir Mohamad at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace. Mohamad, a founder of the D-8, was visiting Turkey to attend meetings marking the seventh anniversary of the group of developing nations. /Cumhuriyet/

GUL VISITS LEBANON
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul this weekend paid an official visit to Lebanon at the invitation of his Lebanese counterpart Jeean Obeid. Yesterday, Gul was received by Premier Refik Hariri. After completing his contacts in the country, Gul later yesterday returned to Ankara. He told reporters that his visit had been fruitful, adding that Lebanese officials had lent their support to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). “A free trade agreement will be signed in the coming days,” said Gul. /Star/

PARLIAMENT FACES BUSY SCHEDULE IN COUNTDOWN TO RECESS
In the countdown to its summer recess set to begin on July 15, Parliament is due to face a busy schedule this week. The Ninth Harmonization Package, which would shorten the judicial holiday and remove all references to the outlawed death penalty from Turkey’s legal codes, is expected to be debated in the full Parliament. /Star/

ARINC RETURNS TO TURKEY FROM MEETING OF EU PARLIAMENT SPEAKERS
After attending a meeting of European Union Parliament speakers in The Hague, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday returned to Ankara. Upon his arrival, Arinc told reporters that he had held bilateral meetings with his Dutch, Italian, Belgian, Finnish, Portuguese, Bulgarian and Greek counterparts. Stressing that EU leaders appreciated Turkey’s efforts to harmonize with Union norms, Arinc said that he had come away with the impression that Ankara would get a date to begin its EU membership talks at the EU’s December summit. /Star/

BAYKAL REELECTED TO CHP HELM
During the weekend 12th Extraordinary Convention of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), leader Deniz Baykal was reelected to the opposition party’s helm. Following the gathering, Baykal and provincial party chairmen visited Ataturk’s mausoleum (Anitkabir) and the tomb of second Republic President Ismet Inonu. The convention took place under pressure from inter-party dissident groups calling for a new administration. /Aksam/

INDEPENDENT COMMISSION HEAD PROMOTES TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP BID
The Independent Turkey Commission completed its study on Ankara’s European Union membership bid over the weekend after meeting with Turkish officials including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as well as bureaucrats, nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives and scholars. The commission was established by a group of distinguished European policymakers who have previously held high positions in public office, including former heads of state and government, foreign ministers and European commissioners, in order to examine the challenges and opportunities presented by the country’s possible EU membership. “The EU must treat Turkey fairly,” said Martti Ahtisaari, former Finnish president and commission chairman, at the commission’s press conference yesterday in Istanbul. For his part, former Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van den Broek stated that the EU was not a Christian club, underlining that Turkey would share such common values with European countries as democracy, human rights and respect for the rights of minorities. /Sabah/

POLISH PREMIER BELKA: “TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ESTABLISH STABILITY IN THE REGION”
In an interview with German daily Welt am Sonntag published yesterday, Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka said that his country supported Ankara’s EU membership bid. “Turkey’s membership should be considered a great opportunity to establish stability in the region,” stated Belka. In related news, Austrian Prime Minister Wolfgang Schussel stated that although he did not oppose Turkey’s EU membership, he still believed that major hurdles remained, such as the country’s large population. /Sabah/

STATE LIMITS INSURANCE ON DEPOSITS
Beginning today, the state is imposing a limit on its insurance for bank deposits. Under the new regulation, deposits up to 50 billion TL will be covered. Previously, the state had offered an unlimited guarantee on deposits in case a bank goes under. /Turkiye/

WB’S VORKINK: “TURKEY IS GROWING LIKE INDIA AND CHINA”
World Bank Turkey Director Andrew Vorkink over the weekend praised Turkey’s recent social security reforms, stating that the WB had provided the government with technical assistance on the success of the program. Vorkink added that the recent rise in Central Bank interest rates was not expected to hurt the economy. “Turkey has a very good trend of economic growth,” added Vorkink. “Your economy has grown by 12.4% in the first quarter of this year, a rate which is quite impressive. With this figure, Turkey has proved that it is growing like India and China.” In related news, the WB and the International Monetary Fund have jointly initiated a review of Turkey’s public expenses since the Law on Public Financial Administration and Control is to be put into force next year. /Milliyet/