ERDOGAN MEETS WITH IRANIAN PRESIDENT KHATAMI, FOREIGN MINISTER KHARRAZI
On the last day of his two-day visit to Iran, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi in Tehran to discuss avenues for boosting bilateral relations and regional cooperation. Erdogan was welcomed by Khatami at the Sadabad Palace, where they reportedly discussed bilateral relations, regional issues and terrorism. “We should try to bolster bilateral cooperation based on respect for mutual and regional interests,” said Khatami. For his part, Erdogan pointed to the importance of expanding cooperation between the two countries to fight terrorism. Erdogan then met with Kharrazi at the Azadi Hotel where they also discussed bilateral and regional issues. As the premier requested more support from Iran on the Cyprus issue, Kharazzi said that an Iranian delegation would soon pay an official visit to the TRNC to show Tehran’s support for the Turkish Cypriots. “We’ll keep our promises on the Cyprus issue,” he pledged. Meanwhile, Turkey and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on security to jointly combat the terrorist PKK/Kongra-Gel and anti-Iranian groups. “I think the existing security cooperation between our two countries is bearing fruit,” said Erdogan. Furthermore, Iranian Deputy Interior Minister Ali Asghar Ahmadi stated that Iran had agreed to put the PKK/Kongra-Gel on its official list of terrorist groups. Turkey in return will add the People's Mujahedeen (MKO), Iran’s top terrorist threat, to its own list. “Both Iran and Turkey have decided to brand the PKK and MKO as terrorist groups, and what was signed today stated that even if these groups maintain their operations under different names, we will continue to deal with them as terrorist groups,” Ahmadi added. Erdogan also reiterated Ankara’s request for Tehran to lower the price of its natural gas as Turkey has halted imports, complaining of poor quality. “The matter of natural gas has been dealt with,” Erdogan said, but added that both countries’ main natural gas companies still needed further discussions to resolve the dispute. /All Papers/

SEZER RECEIVES NEW SWISS AMBASSADOR
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday received new Swiss Ambassador to Ankara Walter Gyger at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. Gyger introduced his secretariat and presented his letter of credentials to Sezer. The president conveyed his best wishes for the Swiss ambassador’s tenure in Ankara. /Aksam/

PARLIAMENT TO DISCUSS TRAIN CRASH IN SPECIAL SESSION
At a special session next Wednesday, Parliament will debate last week’s high-speed train crash in Pamukova which took the lives of 39 people. Parliament went into summer recess in mid-July, but the government has come under heavy criticism for its handling of the derailment. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) had lobbied hard for a recall of Parliament and wants to submit a censure motion against Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim. Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc accepted the request to reconvene the Parliament, but the debate will only proceed if 184 deputies agree to it. /Milliyet/

SPECIAL COMMITTEE FORMED TO INVESTIGATE TRAIN DERAILMENT
A special committee of scientists has been formed to investigate last week’s deadly train derailment in Pamukova. Isik University Rector Siddik Binboga Yarman will head the committee, and its members include engineering professor Aydin Erel, who warned the rails were unsafe before the accident. The group’s first meeting is expected to be held today. In related news, Professor Coenraad Esveld, the head of a Dutch delegation also investigating the accident, said that the rails were in good condition and so cannot be blamed for the derailment. /Milliyet/

ISTANBUL’S NEVE SHALOM SYNAGOGUE REOPENS
Istanbul’s Neve Shalom Synagogue, the target of a car bomb attack last November, was officially reopened yesterday. Renovations on the house of worship have been completed and the synagogue is expected to return to its former active community role. A ceremony was held with the attendance of Chief Rabbi Ishak (Yitzhak) Haleva. Tight security measures were taken during the rite, which Israeli Ambassador to Ankara Pinhas Avivi and Israeli Consulate General Amira Arnon also attended. /Star/

DEPUTY PM SENER REBUKES CB GOVERNOR: “NO BUREAUCRAT IS AUTHORIZED TO WARN THE GOVERNMENT”
No bureaucrat is authorized to warn the government, said the deputy prime minister in charge of economic coordination to Central Bank Governor Serdengecti yesterday, in what amounted to a stern rebuke. Serdengecti earlier this week said that Turkey would suffer deeper crises if it failed to continue working with the International Monetary Fund. “The government shapes its economy policy in line with the country’s needs,” said Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener. “If a bureaucrat makes such a statement, he has gone too far in his words, going into territory which is beyond his domain. The markets are already sure that the government is developing policies in line with their needs.” /Aksam/

DAWSON: “THE FUTURE OF TURKISH-IMF TIES IS UP TO ANKARA”
It is Ankara that will decide the future course of its relationship with the International Monetary Fund, said IMF External Relations Director Tom Dawson yesterday. Asked what will happen when the IMF’s standby program with Turkey expires next February, Dawson said, “That is fundamentally a decision the [Turkish] authorities will make in the first instance by themselves before the Fund would have a response. And it's my understanding ... that the authorities have indicated that they expect to make a decision in this regard by September.” Dawson added that an IMF Executive Board meeting on the eighth review of Turkey’s program could be expected to issue a statement tomorrow. /Hurriyet/

ROMANIA TIGHTENS AIRPORT SECURITY MEASURES
Romania has tightened security measures for flights from Bucharest to Istanbul, the Romanian Transportation Ministry announced yesterday. The reason for these new measures is that there was a threat made against Turkish officials. The ministry stated that tight security measures were being taken at Bucharest’s Henri Coanda International Airport. /Cumhuriyet/

NEW IMF REPRESENTATIVE TO TURKEY BREDENKAMP MEETS THE PRESS
Hugh Bredenkamp, who will officially start working as the new International Monetary Fund representative to Turkey on Aug. 18, yesterday held a press conference alongside the former Turkey desk chief Odd Per Brekk. Bredenkamp, a 16-year veteran of the IMF, introduced himself to Turkish journalists, adding that he had visited Turkey twice in the last three months. In related news, Brekk is set to leave Turkey next week to start his new mission in Indonesia. /Turkiye/