ERDOGAN: “TURKEY WILL ENTER A NEW ERA”
Turkey will enter a new era after getting a date for its European Union accession talks, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday during a trip to the Black Sea town of Rize. Stressing the great importance of getting a date for accession talks, Erdogan underlined that the government is working very hard for Ankara’s EU bid. /Sabah/

BAYKAL CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT OVER DEBT
During a visit to Tokat yesterday, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal charged that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has only added to Turkey’s debt rather then cutting it. /Star/

FRENCH FM: “THE EU SHOULD KEEP ITS PROMISE AND GIVE TURKEY A DATE TO BEGIN ACCESSION TALKS”
Speaking to Greek daily To Vima yesterday, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said that the European Union should keep its promise to give Turkey a date this December to begin accession talks. “Turkey has achieved considerable progress since it signed a partnership agreement with the EU in 1963,” said Barnier. “The European Commission appreciates the reforms recently passed by Ankara.” The top French diplomat stressed that if Turkey chooses an economic and political development model close to the Union’s, than the EU would also benefit from this. “Both Turkey and the EU have responsibilities and they shouldn’t forget these,” he said. /Milliyet/

NEW EU COMMISSIONER FOR ENLARGEMENT TOUTS TURKEY’S PROGRESS TOWARDS MEMBERSHIP
Olli Rehn, the successor to European Union for Enlargement Guenter Verheuugen, due to take over the post in November, said yesterday that Turkey has recently achieved important progress for its EU membership, adding that all candidate countries must fulfill the Copenhagen criteria in order to join the Union. Rehn stressed that enlargement was very important for the EU and added that this process would continue. /Turkiye/

TURKMEN PROTEST EFFORTS TO DILUTE THEIR PRESENCE IN KIRKUK
After being forced by Iraqi Kurds to vacate their homes in Kirkuk and having their properties seized, Iraqi Turkmen yesterday staged a protest of the new Iraqi government. “The purpose of this protest is to raise our voice to both the new Iraqi government and the world and to prevent Kurdish efforts to take the control of the city,” said one protester. “This is a peaceful protest, but in the future we could use force to protect our rights.” The Kurds are trying to change the demographic structure of Kirkuk before an upcoming census which will have a key role in the northern Iraqi city’s future. About 250,000 Turkmen currently live in Kirkuk out of a total population of about 1 million. After Arabs and Kurds, Turkmen are the third-largest ethnic group in Iraq. /Hurriyet/

SENER: “THE GOVERNMENT IS CONTINUING TO WORK TO PROVIDE SOME PROVINCES WITH ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE”
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said yesterday that the government was continuing to work to provide economic assistance to a number of underdeveloped provinces, adding that providing such aid to provinces where per capita income is under $1,500 had helped some, but did little for others. Sener added that unemployment was still one of Turkey’s most pressing problems despite a high growth rate, but predicted that unemployment would fall in the upcoming period. He further stressed the importance of economic stability in creating jobs. /Aksam/

ROMANIAN CONSUL GENERAL: “SOCIAL AND CULTURAL TIES WITH ANKARA NEED TO BE FURTHER DEVELOPED”
Speaking to Turkish daily Cumhuriyet yesterday, Radu Gabriel Safta, Romania’s consul general in Istanbul, evaluated his country’s European Union membership bid. Romania is expected to join the EU in 2007. Safta said that the EU accession process hadn’t easy for his country, but that structural reforms had boosted the Romanian economy. He stressed that there were macroeconomic similarities between the Romanian and Turkish economies and added that his country would erase four zeros from its own currency next year, similar to the upcoming Turkish lira revaluation. Safta added that social and cultural ties between the two countries needed to be further developed. /Cumhuriyet/