ERDOGAN ATTENDS LEBANESE PARLIAMENT'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SESSION
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday attended a full assembly session of Lebanese Parliament which convened to elect army chief Michel Sleiman as president in a first step towards defusing an often deadly 18-month standoff between feuding political factions. Before his departure, at Ankara's Esenboga Airport, Erdogan said that Turkey would continue its efforts to find solutions for problems in the region through dialogue and compromise, adding that Ankara wants stability and prosperity in the region. In addition to Erdogan and Babacan, Qatar's emir and his prime minister -- the driving force behind the Doha agreement -- and foreign ministers from Syria, Saudi Arabia, France, and Iran were present at the gathering. Sleiman became the 11th president of Lebanon by votes of 118 deputies. Following the election and the presidential swearing-in ceremony, Erdogan met with Qatar's premier and foreign minister and Lebanon's Saad Hariri, and then returned to Turkey. /Aksam/

If we had remained silent as a party elected by 16.5 million voters, we couldn't have been the voice of the silent crowd, said yesterday Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Speaking to his ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) women branches meeting in Ankara, Erdogan criticized latest statements by the Supreme Court of Appeals and the State Council, saying, "Everyone should do his job. Legislation is working. It is not possible to interfere with legislation." Claiming that the supreme court of appeals board of directors do not act through the constitutional law or with the powers it got from the law, Erdogan stated that such an authorization is not possible. "If a statement is issued against a party which is sued for ban and which received votes of 16.5 million citizens, it would be betraying all these people to leave these notes unanswered," he added. Touching on issues such as secularism and democracy, Erdogan said, "Nobody has the right to force religious belief. Some of my colleagues prefer different lifestyles. As a guarantee for liberty, secularism means differences. We do not defend secularism as a system but we experience it at the same time. The issue is not secularism; it is whether Turkey will be a country of democracy or not." /Sabah/

CROATIAN FM: "THOSE WHO SAY TURKEY ISN'T IN EUROPE SHOULD LOOK AT THE MAP"
In an interview with Milliyet daily, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said that those who believe that Turkey doesn't belong to Europe should look at the map. Asked what Turkey's importance for the European Union is, Jandrokovic said, "Within the context of region, Turkey has a great importance." He added, "One has to take this into consideration while talking about Turkey. For this reason, we closely follow Turkey-EU relations. Our principle is as follows: Every country fulfilling the EU criteria should be an EU member. /Milliyet/

DEPUTY PM CICEK: "I DON'T BELIVE THAT THE AKP WILL BE CLOSED DOWN"
Speaking to Haberturk channel, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said that the closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was a surprise for him and that he doesn't believe that the party would be closed down. He said, "Europe finds it unfavorable to close down a party, except the criteria of the Venice Commission," adding, "In an atmosphere where there are so many scenarios, the AKP shouldn't respond to any question, before the case is concluded. We are the government. If the party is closed down and the premier is banned, who would take such a country seriously?" /Milliyet/

BAYKAL TO VISIT SANLIURFA, DIYARBAKIR NEXT WEEK
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal is set to visit Sanliurfa and Diyarbakir next week as part of local election campaign to speak about CHP's solutions for the problems prevailing in the southeastern region. CHP will also organize a meeting on agriculture and farmers in Sanliurfa with Central Governing Body (MYK) members, deputies and scientists. /Sabah/

CHP TO OPEN REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE IN WASHINGTON
Speaking to Hurriyet daily, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said that his party would open a representative office in Washington to tell its opinions properly to the audiences in the US. He said that with the representative office, the CHP aims to dispel misperceptions and prejudices on Turkey and the CHP. "The office will help the US officials, media members and other people see issues from the CHP's point of view and also establish contacts to exchange views," he said. Baykal also stated that his meetings with European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso and the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn had indicated that the CHP needs to represent its opinions well on some important issues abroad. /Hurriyet/

TURKISH PARADE HELD IN NEW YORK
The 27th Traditional Turkish Day Parade, organized by the Federation of Turkish-American Associations (TADF), was held in New York City on May 24. State Minister Mustafa Said Yazicioglu and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chairman Egemen Bagis were among participants of the parade which was met with great interest. /Cumhuriyet/

SIMSEK: "POLITICAL ROWS HARM ECONOMY"
Warning that rising oil prices could considerably increase Turkey oil import costs and influence the economy negatively, State Minister for the Economy Mehmet Simsek said, "Instead of escalating political disputes, we should focus on our economic growth and maintain the reforms." Stressing that the national income had increased by three times during the last five years thanks to the government's economy policies, he said that political and economic stability should be preserved to avert possible difficulties in the economy. Stating that Turkey's economy needs more skilled workers, Simsek also said that the government would implement a new program to train skilled workers, needed by different sectors. /Star/

TURKEY'S CEYLAN WINS CANNES' BEST DIRECTOR PRIZE
Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan won the prize of the best director yesterday for his searing family drama "Three Monkeys" at the 61st Cannes Film Festival. Turkish director attended the ceremony with his wife and said: "I dedicate my prize to my lonely and beautiful country". Faye Dunaway handed Ceylan his prize. Ceylan, maker of "Uzak" and "Climates," is a master of psychological subtlety and intimacy, shooting meticulously beautiful images helped by his use of high-definition digital video. Before Ceylan, Yylmaz Güney won the prize of Golden Palm with his movie called "The Road" in 1982, and last year Fatih Akyn won the prize of the best script with his movie called "The Edge of Heaven." /All Papers/