NATION MARKS VICTORY DAY
August 30 Victory Day was celebrated yesterday with ceremonies throughout the country, in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and in Turkey’s missions abroad. In the evening, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok hosted a reception to mark the day. In attendance were President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal and other top officials as well as military leaders. /All Papers/
GUL: “TURKEY IS RENEWING ITSELF”
Turkey is renewing itself, said Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday during his visit to the northwestern town of Gebze to attend ceremonies marking August 30 Victory Day. “Our railways and airways will also be reconsidered during this renewal,” added Gul. Touting the victories of Turkish athletes at the just-concluded Olympic Games in Athens, Gul congratulated them for their success as well as Greece for hosting the games without problems. /Star/
PARLIAMENT DELEGATION VISITS ISRAEL
A delegation of three ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies yesterday traveled to Israel to hold three days of contacts with Israeli officials. Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly sent with them a letter to his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon expressing his views on regional issues. /Turkiye/
SEPTEMBER TO SEE FLURRY OF EU BID PROMOTION, TRIPS
European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen, who is soon set to leave his post, is due to arrive in Ankara on Saturday for a two-day visit in the leadup to the October release of the European Commission progress report on Turkey. In addition, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is due to travel to EU Term President the Netherlands on Friday to attend a meeting of EU foreign ministers. He is expected to stress that Ankara should begin its accession talks with the EU as soon as possible. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also expected to visit a number of EU member states next month to seek their support for Turkey’s EU membership bid. Erdogan will also seek his fellow foreign ministers’ support for Ankara’s EU bid during a joint EU-Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) forum. /Aksam/
RULING PARTY, OPPOSITION DISCUSS PROPOSED PENAL CODE CHANGES
The ruling Justice and Development Party yesterday (AKP) continued its efforts to win the support of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for a new Penal Code. Yesterday an AKP delegation paid a visit to CHP leader Deniz Baykal to discuss the proposed changes. The AKP has called for an emergency meeting of the Turkish Parliament on Sept. 14 to vote on the new code. /Sabah/
PUTIN TO DISCUSS ENERGY PROJECTS, BILATERAL RELATIONS DURING VISIT
Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to arrive in Ankara on Thursday to pay a two-day official visit. Putin will be accompanied by Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his short stay, the first by a Russian president in three decades. Putin will discuss energy projects and bilateral relations with Turkish officials. Ivanov is expected to meet with Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and Lavrov with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to discuss bilateral relations. /Cumhuriyet/
CHP INVESTIGATES CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS
The opposition People’s Republican Party (CHP) Central Executive Board yesterday convened to discuss allegations of corruption concerning the mayor of Istanbul’s Sisli Municipality, Mustafa Sarigul. Deputy Chairman Onur Oymen told reporters that a commission would be formed to investigate the allegations, adding that any party members involved in corruption should resign. On the other hand, Sarigul said that he had never been involved in activities that would harm the CHP and pledged to continue to fight for his party’s success. /Turkiye/
TURKISH ENGINEERS RELEASED
Two Turkish engineers who were kidnapped in Iraq last week, Ali Daskin and Abdullah Ozdemir, were released yesterday. Commenting on the incident, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters that the two hostages had been released through the initiatives of the Foreign Ministry. /Turkiye/
AUSTRIAN EX-DIPLOMAT SUPPORTS TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP
The European Union should give Turkey a date for its accession talks, said a former senior Austrian diplomat yesterday. “A silent revolution has taken place in Turkey, completely changing its social, organizational and political systems,” said Albert Rohan, a former Austrian Foreign Ministry secretary-general. “This reform process depends on the EU, and this close relationship could keep this dynamic progress alive.” /Star/
BABACAN TO ATTEND ANNUAL IMF, WORLD BANK MEETINGS IN OCTOBER
State Minister for the Economy Minister Ali Babacan, accompanied by a delegation, is expected to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington on Oct. 1-3. A host of issues, including financial sector problems in developing nations, recent rises in oil prices, stability and regulations in the financial sector, and the worldwide effect of US interest rates, are expected to be addressed at the meetings. Also to be discussed are the world economy, economic growth projections, and corruption. /Milliyet/
CeBIT INFORMATION FAIR BEGINS IN ISTANBUL
Eurasia’s largest information and communications technologies fair, CeBIT Eurasia, opened yesterday in Istanbul. During the fair, which runs through Sunday, some 800 firms will display the latest information and communications technology to over 150,000 visitors from 65 countries. /Hurriyet/