ERDOGAN TO ATTEND LOCAL AKP CONGRESSES ACROSS TURKEY
Until Parliament reconvenes this fall, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to focus on his ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) provincial and local congresses across the country. Erdogan will reportedly attend some AKP congresses starting this Friday, with the one in his hometown of Guneysu, Rize. Erdogan has asked AKP members and deputies to step up their preparations for local elections set for March of next year. The AKP's next regular general congress will be held at the end of next year. /Star/

BABACAN BRIEFS US, EU COUNTERPARTS ON EFFORTS TO DEFUSE RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN CRISIS
In telephone conversations over the last two days, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has briefed his US and European Union member state counterparts on Turkey 's efforts to defuse the crisis between Russia and Georgia . Speaking to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, EU Term President France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, Babacan told them about Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent visits to Russia and Georgia to help end the conflict between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia, and also exchanged views on how to end the conflict. In addition to Turkey's role, Babacan and his counterparts also assessed what international organs such as the UN Security Council, the EU, NATO, the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) could do to end the conflict. Today Babacan is set to go to Brussels to attend an extraordinary NATO foreign ministers meeting on the situation. Turkey will continue to help efforts along with the international community to promote peaceful solutions and sustainable stability through common sense and dialogue, said a Foreign Ministry statement. /Cumhuriyet/

BAHCELI: "GEORGIA'S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY SHOULD BE PRESERVED"
No occupation of Georgia should be ignored, said opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli yesterday. Visiting cities in Thrace, on Turkey's European side, Bahceli spoke about Turkey's efforts to end the conflict between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia . Stating that Turkey is urging that stability in the Caucasus be maintained, he added, " Georgia's territorial integrity should be preserved. Turkey is urging the continuation of peace, stability and mutual respect between countries of the world." /Turkiye/

FIRST TURKISH-AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT BEGINS TODAY IN ISTANBUL
In line with its efforts in recent years to boost relations with African countries, part of its long-term expansion strategy towards the African continent, Turkey is taking another important step this week by hosting the first Turkish-African Union Summit. Bringing together nearly all African countries and representatives of 20 international organizations in Istanbul , the summit, chaired by President Abdullah Gul, will begin today. At the end of the summit, a declaration between Turkey and the participating African countries is expected to outline the main principles of future relations. The declaration is also expected to announce the establishment of a cooperation program in areas such as industry, trade, security, culture, the environment, education, nutrition, and peacekeeping initiatives, as well as a new monitoring mechanism to institutionalize cooperation between Turkey and African countries. The African Union declared Turkey strategic partner in January. The next Turkish-African Union summit is due to be held five years from now, in an African country. /Sabah/

TURKISH PLANES BOMB TERRORIST TARGETS IN N.IRAQ
Turkish fighter jets have bombed terrorist PKK targets in northern Iraq, the General Staff announced on its website on Saturday. Turkish warplanes hit an area in northern Iraq where a group of PKK terrorists were preparing to attack Turkey. "Warplanes attacked terrorists in the Avasin-Basyan region of northern Iraq , near the Turkish border," the military said. /All papers/

CIVIL SERVANTS TO GET WAGE HIKE
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that this month Turkey's lowest-paid civil servants would get a raise of 103 new Turkish liras (YTL). "Additional amounts will be paid to civil servants in accordance with their current salaries and titles," Erdogan told reporters. "The lowest salaries will get raises of 10 percent, while the average salary will be increased 8.4 percent." With this hike, the lowest salary for civil servants reached 1,119 YTL. /All papers/