ERDOGAN: “TERROR HAS NO RELIGION, CULTURE OR NATION”
Speaking to a daily German Bild yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that terrorism was a trouble of the world, not only Turkey, adding that it had no religion, culture or nation. “International cooperation is needed in order to fight terrorism,” he said, adding that Ankara was ready to contribute to this fight. Touching on the Iraq issue, the premier said that the war in a neighboring country Iraq also affected Turkey negatively, adding however that Ankara welcomed disarmament of the country. /Aksam/

PARLIAMENT TO HOLD AN EXTRAORDINARY SESSION TO DEBATE ON CENSURE MOTION ON TRAIN DERAILMENT IN SAKARYA
Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim is set to defend himself today at a parliamentary extraordinary session on the recent train accident where some 30 people died after a packed new express train heading to Ankara from Istanbul derailed. The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) presented a censure motion proposal to the parliament about Yildirim who is expected to defend himself with the help of the expert reports from four different countries. According to the reports, the cause of the derailment was the speed of the train which was higher than the legal limit. In related news, the council which was established by the Transportation Ministry to investigate the derailment announced yesterday that the fast train would not be on service for the next three months until the investigation ends. /Sabah/

YAS MEETING CONTINUES
The Supreme Military Council (YAS) meeting yesterday continued under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The three-day meeting which discusses promotions and retirements in the military as well as other important issues on the country’s agenda is expected to end today. /Star/

TRT DIRECTOR GENERAL TO BRIEF ERDOGAN ON THE TRT’S GENERAL BROADCAST POLICIES AND ON REDUCING THE NUMBER OF STAFF
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to meet tomorrow with state broadcaster TRT Director General Senol Demiroz. During their meeting, Demiroz is expected to brief Erdogan on a number of issues, including TRT’s general broadcast policies and reducing the number of staff. /Turkiye/

GUL: “WE’RE DOING OUR UTMOST TO SAVE THE REMAINING TURKISH HOSTAGES IN IRAQ”
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that Ankara was doing its utmost to save the remaining Turkish hostages in Iraq, adding that the developments were being followed closely. “Our priority is to save our hostages,” he said. Gul added that Iraq was the greatest threat for the region. In related news, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin yesterday harshly criticized videotaped killing of a Turkish hostage, adding that there was a power vacuum in Iraq. /Turkiye/

FOREIGN MINISTRY HOLDS AN URGENT MEETING WITH FIRMS DOING BUSINESS IN IRAQ
In the wake of the videotaped killing of a Turkish hostage, Murat Yuce, who was working for a laundry firm in Iraq, the Foreign Ministry yesterday held an urgent meeting with the International Transporters' Association (UND) and a number of the representatives of the Turkish firms doing business in Iraq. It was stated that the UND’s recent announcement that it halted bringing supplies to the US forces in Iraq was sent to two important TV stations in the region, Qatar-based Al Jazeera and Dubai-based Al Arabia. In the meeting, the foreign ministry officials stressed that the US forces failed to protect the Turkish convoys despite Ankara’s regular warnings about the lack of security in the region. /Hurriyet/

TURKISH FIRMS QUIT IRAQ
After the Ankara-based Bilintur firm, which was providing laundry services to a Jordanian company in Iraq, and for which Murat Yuce, who was recently killed by Iraqi gunmen was working, said it was ordering all personnel to leave Iraq, the Tepe group to which Billur is affiliated has also announced that it would stop doing business in Iraq in hopes of saving the life of other possible captives. In addition, Dorce Prefab Company which is one of the Turkish firms warned by the Iraqi gunmen who killed Yuce decided to leave Iraq. Turkey hopes such decisions to stop services to US forces will save other Turks currently being held captive by in Iraq. /Hurriyet/

TURKISH TRUCKERS COMPLAIN ABOUT LACK OF SECURITY IN IRAQ
In the wake of the videotaped killing of a Turkish worker, Murat Yuce, by masked gunmen in Iraq, the complaints of the Turkish truckers doing business there have jumped to the top of Ankara’s agenda. The Turkish truckers stated that although they traveled through the Kurdish regions safely, the Arabian regions are more dangerous as the US forces fail to take effective security measures there. They also added that the American soldiers usually escape instead of protecting the supply convoys when an attack is launched on the trucks. “After the supplies are unloaded, the US forces leave us all alone,” said a Turkish trucker. Most Turkish truckers have recently decided not to travel to Iraq after Yuce’s killing. /Sabah/

BABACAN MEETS WITH IMF DELEGATION, DISCUSSES THE NEW ECONOMIC PROGRAM
State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan yesterday met with visiting International Monetary Fund delegation headed by IMF Turkey Desk Chief Riza Moghadam to discuss how the IMF’s role would be in a new economic program. Also present at the meeting was Treasury Undersecretary Ibrahim Canakci. The delegation is expected to leave Ankara on Friday. /Aksam/

THREE MODERATE QUAKES SHAKE AEGEAN COST
Three moderate earthquakes, the strongest with a preliminary magnitude of 5.0, shook Turkey's Aegean coast yesterday, with no injuries or dead. Quakes are frequent in Turkey, much of which lies atop the active North Anatolian fault. /All Papers/

JULY INFLATION FIGURES RELEASED
The State Institute of Statistics (DIE) yesterday released month-on-month inflation figures for July. Inflation last month was 0.22% on the consumer price index (CPI) and -1.52% on the on the wholesale price index (WPI), pushing year-to-year WPI to 9.44% and CPI to 9.57%. /All papers/