GUL'S IRAQ VISIT POSTPONED
President Abdullah Gul has postponed an upcoming visit to Iraq, said the Presidential Press Center yesterday. A statement said that his doctors had advised Gul to stay off airplanes until mid-January due to problems with his inner ear. /Star/

JUSTICE MINISTER SAHIN: "WE HAVE NO PLANS FOR AN AMNESTY"
Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said yesterday that the government has no plan to issue an amnesty. Commenting on statistics saying that Turkey's prison population is now the highest it has been in 39 years, Sahin said Turkey had seen many amnesties over the years, and that these may have encouraged people to commit crimes. Sahin added that the number of inmates, which has swelled to over 100,000, should be interpreted in light of social and economic problems. /Hurriyet/

BULGARIAN PRESIDENT STARTING TWO-DAY VISIT TO TURKEY
Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov is scheduled to arrive in Ankara today for a two-day official visit at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. The two leaders will discuss regional and international affairs in addition to bilateral relations, said the Presidential Press Office. Parvanov will later travel to Kayseri, where he will attend a meeting of the Turkish-Bulgarian Business Council. /Today's Zaman/

KAZAKH AMBASSADOR: "WE'LL NEVER FORGET HOW TURKEY HELPED US"
Trade between Turkey and Kazakhstan should be improved, as the current volume is low in light of both countries' great economic potential, said Kazakh Ambassador to Ankara Bagdat Amreyev yesterday. "Seventeen years ago, Turkey was the first country to recognize Kazakhstan's independence from the Soviet Union," he told Sabah daily, marking the country's anniversary today. "It was also the first country to send us financial aid. In the early days of our independence, the first foreign firms to invest in Kazakhstan were Turkish. Turkish contractors built our first new buildings." Turkey's contributions to Kazakhstan will never be forgotten, he added. Saying that the two countries enjoy strong political, economic and cultural ties, Amreyev also stressed the importance of common institutions for improved relations among the Turkic republics. Praising a recent agreement between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Azerbaijan to establish an interparliamentary assembly of Turkic republics, he added that work is underway to form a permanent secretariat among Turkic heads of state. Turning to bilateral energy cooperation, he said Kazakh oil companies would invest more in Turkey's energy sector in the years to come. Kazakhstan's oil reserves are among the world's top six. /Sabah/

CRISIS GROUP REPORT URGES TURKEY, EU TO REVIVE NEGOTIATION PROCESS
The European Union should frequently and earnestly express that Turkey can gain full membership if it fulfills all the criteria for accession, the International Crisis Group, a top EU think-tank, said in a new report released yesterday. Stating that both sides need to remember how much they have to gain from each other and move quickly, the report said the loss of EU-bound momentum in the negotiation process would mean weak reform performance from Turkey and the potential loss of the principal anchor of this decade's "economic miracle" in the country. For Europe, the cost would be longer term, the report warned: less easy access to one of the biggest and fastest-growing nearby markets, likely new tensions over Cyprus, and loss of leverage that real partnership with Turkey offers in helping to stabilize the Middle East, strengthen EU energy security, and reach out to the Muslim world. The report also urged the Turkish government to pledge to restart EU reforms at the highest level. /Turkiye/

WARNING OF FALLOUT FROM GLOBAL CRISIS, OECD'S GURRIA URGES DEAL WITH IMF
Angel Gurria, secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), yesterday arrived in Ankara at the invitation of Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan. Speaking at a panel on Turkey and the international economy, co-organized by the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD), Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), and Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB), Gurria urged the government to sign a deal with the International Monetary Fund as soon as possible. "Don't be too optimistic about financial measures under the current conditions. No country is immune to the global crisis," he added. Also addressing the panel, TUSIAD Chairwoman Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag claimed that in the second half of next year growth will halt abruptly, sending Turkey into a recession. Rifat Hisarciklioglu, chairman of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB), said that rating agencies have misled the public, adding, "Control and supervision mechanisms have become ineffectual due to big companies' lust for excessive profit." On the sidelines of the panel, Gurria met with President Abdullah Gul and Unakitan. /Miliyet/

TREASURY: "AN IMF DELEGATION WILL VISIT IN JANUARY"
The Treasury Undersecretariat yesterday stated that an International Monetary Fund delegation will visit Turkey early in the new year. Great progress has been made on a new economic program between Turkey and the IMF, it said in a statement. "An IMF team has been invited to Turkey to have talks on policies, structural adjustments, and the contents of a program which will form part of a standby deal to be signed with the Fund," it added. /Cumhuriyet/