PRESIDENT GUL TO HOST LUNCHEON FOR TOP STATE OFFICIALS
At the Cankaya Palace today, President Abdullah Gul will hold a luncheon for Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Constitutional Court head Hasim Kilic, Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Justice Hasan Gerceker, Council of State head Mustafa Birden and Court of Accounts head Mehmet Damar. During the luncheon, the top officials will exchange views about the ongoing Ergenekon probe and also discuss recent disharmony and controversies between institutions. /Star/

ERDOGAN: "TURKEY'S FULL EU MEMBERSHIP IS OUR MAIN STRATEGIC GOAL"
Turkey's full European Union membership is our main strategic goal, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. After completing three days of contacts in Brussels, in his first visit in four years, Erdogan reiterated that Turkey is not interested in anything besides full membership. Stating that the EU accession process will gain momentum after Turkey's local elections in March, he added that he and EU officials had also discussed the Cyprus issue. /Star/

GENERAL STAFF CALLS ON MEDIA TO ACT RESPONSIBLY
In its coverage, the media should act responsibly and with common sense, said the General Staff in a statement yesterday. The statement was issued in response to media coverage of Abdulkerim Kirca, a retired colonel who committed suicide on Monday after media stories accusing him of involvement in illegal activities when he headed the gendarmerie intelligence unit JITEM, an alleged secret military intelligence organization whose existence was consistently denied by officials. Blasting news coverage of Kirca as "extrajudicial execution," the statement said such stories are immoral and violate human rights. "In recent days, some media outlets have carried inflammatory news stories based on a so-called informant's testimony about Col. Abdulkerim Kirca, who was permanently disabled in clashes with terrorists on April 19, 1998," said the statement. It accused the media of finding people and institutions guilty based on unsubstantiated claims. Kirca's funeral at Ankara Kocatepe Mosque yesterday was attended by many officers, including Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug and the four force commanders, along with Interior Minister Besir Atalay. As part of the ongoing Ergenekon probe, an alleged PKK informant who lives abroad, Abdulkadir Aygan, has claimed that JITEM was involved in illegal activities during the 1990s, at the height of the fight against the terrorist PKK in southeastern Anatolia. Aygan also claimed that former Gen. Veli Kucuk, who is currently on trial under the Ergenekon probe, served as a group commander of the secret intelligence unit in the early 1990s /Sabah/

OBAMA PLEDGES A NEW START WITH MUSLIM WORLD
Barack Obama yesterday was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States in a landmark inauguration ceremony in Washington, attended by nearly 2 million Americans. As the first African-American US president, Obama broke a key racial barrier in the US politics. Devoting large parts of his inaugural speech to the world economic crisis and its impact, Obama called on Americans to join him in taking responsibility for the country's future in a new age of accountability. Obama also outlined a new course for the US in the coming years, raising hopes that the new American administration would be more inclusive, open to the needs of people and governments worldwide, more collaborative and more inclined to deal with problems through diplomacy than military power. Obama said the American people don't have to choose between security and democracy. "As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals," he said. He also pledged to improve US ties with the Muslim world, saying, "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect." In related news, asked about the change in US power, Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said there are great expectations that the Obama administration will act to tackle great challenges such as the global economic crisis and the Middle East issue. He said that he expected Obama to become the voice of the silent masses and to lend a helping hand to people in trouble worldwide. /Sabah/

BAGIS HOLDS MEETINGS IN BRUSSELS
For the first time in his new post, Chief European Union negotiator Egemen Bagis yesterday held separate meetings with EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn, Commissioner for Taxation and the Customs Union Laszlo Kovacs, and Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs Vladimir Spidla. Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht Bagis is also set to receive Bagis today. /Turkiye/

EU'S REHN: "ERDOGAN SHOULD VISIT BRUSSELS MORE OFTEN"
Recent crises such as the war in Georgia, conflict in the Middle East, and the energy standoff between Russia and Ukraine have increased Turkey's importance for the European Union, said EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn yesterday. Meeting with Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and chief European Union talks negotiator Egemen Bagis in Brussels, Rehn said that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan should visit Brussels more often. "There are solid foundations between the EU and Turkey to establish close cooperation," he added. For his part, Babacan said that Turkey has historical and cultural ties with a very large region, adding, "That's why it can open new doors to the EU." Bagis also said that with Turkey's accession to the Union, the EU can become an alliance and union of civilizations. "Turkey will continue to implement EU reforms for the nation's own good," he said. /Star/

CHP'S BAYKAL CALLS ON PARLIAMENT TO LOOK INTO ERGENEKON PROBE
Speaking at his Parliamentary group meeting yesterday, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal criticized the ongoing Ergenekon probe, saying that it existed to settle political scores. Commenting on weapons seizures under the probe, Baykal said that the Parliament should take immediate action to look into this. In related news, opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) said that demonstrations against Israel's recent attacks in Gaza had started to overstep their purpose. He also criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's handling of the issue. /Milliyet/