AUSTRIAN PRESIDENT VISITS TURKEY
Austrian President Heinz Fischer yesterday arrived in Ankara as the official guest of his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. Fischer and his spouse Margit Fischer were welcomed with an official ceremony by Gul and his spouse Hayrunnisa Gul at Cankaya Presidential Palace. Gul hosted a dinner to honor of his Austrian counterpart. Fischer said, "Turkey's European Union membership will be reviewed taking into consideration whether Turkey fulfilled that last term conditions, when it comes to membership stage. We call this process 'open ended negotiations'." For his part, Gul said that Turkey which completed its EU negotiation process would be more different than today. Fischer also met with Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan. /Milliyet/

IN BULGARIA, BABACAN ATTENDS SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES' FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday went to Bulgaria to attend Southeast European Countries' Foreign Ministers meeting, held within the framework of the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP). Speaking to reporters before departure, Babacan said the Southeast European Countries Cooperation process was an important Balkan cooperation platform that reflected the region's common will. Saying that the Southeast European Countries Cooperation process aims to find solutions in the region through political dialogue and the common will within the region itself, Babacan added, "The process that began with Turkey's initiatives is the only platform that brings Balkan countries together around the same table." "We expect a decision at the meeting that would make Turkey the term president of the Southeast European Countries Cooperation process between 2009 and 2010," Babacan said. Asked about a question on Turkey's mediation efforts between Syria and Israel, Babacan stated that initial talks between these two countries would take place through Turkey's assistance. "If we reach a point in these indirect talks, the two sides will then convene around the same discussion table," Babacan also said. /Turkiye/

BAYKAL REBUFFS ERDOGAN'S CLAIMS OVER FOSTERING HATRED
Speaking to his Republican People's Party's (CHP) group meeting, main opposition leader Deniz Baykal yesterday criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent remarks about not attending the reception given by President Abdullah Gul at the Cankaya Palace for Britain's Queen Elizabeth's honor. Saying that Erdogan accused himself of fostering antagonism and hatred, Baykal added he hadn't attended the meeting because of his principles, not hatred. /Star/

BAHCELI: "THE AKP IS TRYING TO ESTABLISH A DICTATORSHIP OF FEAR"
Opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said yesterday that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government attempted to bring constitutional and democratic rights under control through a dictatorship fed by fears". Referring to claims that Osman Paksut, deputy chief justice of the Constitutional Court, has been phone tapped, Bahceli said AKP was pushing the country towards a totalitarian system, in which private lives of citizens are controlled and people's private conversations are tapped. Speaking at his party's parliamentary group meeting, Bahceli said, "The AKP, which talks about improving democracy in the country, is trying to seize constitutional and democratic rights, placing citizens under the control of their dictatorship of fear." Our democracy is no longer able to protect its people. Turkish democracy is about to become a system that closely scrutinizes its citizens and feels suspicions about them, he added. "An administration that looks at its citizens as potential threat can no longer continue to serve the nation." /Hurriyet/

MUMCU TO RUN FOR ANAVATAN LEADERSHIP
Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) leader Erkan Mumcu said yesterday that his party would hold an extraordinary congress at the end of June and he will again run for the leadership. Following a meeting with ANAVATAN's top administrators to mark the party's 25th foundation anniversary, Mumcu said that they agreed to hold an extraordinary congress on 28-29 June and their talks with the Democrat Party (DP) for cooperation in central right were continuing. /Hurriyet/

OPPOSITION'S CENSURE OF PM REJECTED
Parliament rejected yesterday the request by opposition parties for a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for using his political power to the benefit of Calik Group in the Sabah-atv sale. During his address to Parliament, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal accused Erdogan of intervening in the sale process for the benefit of Calik Group. "The prime minister discouraged some businessmen who wanted to enter the sale process," said Baykal. Calik Group, with the partnership of Qatar-based Al Wasaeel International Media Company, bought mass circulation daily Sabah and one of the leading prime-time television channels, atv, for $1.1 billion. /Turkish Daily News/

TURKISH-GERMAN MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES DISCUSS DIALOGUE ISSUE
Organized by Directorate General of Press and Information, The Turkish Research Center Foundation and Friedrich Naumann Foundation, the 8th Turkish-German Media Dialogue Symposium Meeting was held in Antalya on May 15-18. Press members from Turkey, Germany and Switzerland attended the meeting. Four separate sessions entitled "Turkey's image in the German media," "Europe's image in the Turkish media," "Ways to improve news contents," "Turkey's EU membership process in media," "Turkey's EU membership in terms of media" were held as part of the three-day gathering. The Turkish Research Center Foundation Director Faruk Sen and Friedrich Naumann Foundation Director Jörg Dehner and Directorate General of Press and Information General Director Salih Melek delivered welcome speeches at the opening of the symposium. At the closing session, Cumhuriyet daily's assistant editor Guray Oz and German Focus Magazine Foreign News Redactor Andrea Claudia Hoffman talked about the topic of "How well do we know each other?" /Cumhuriyet/