GUL VISITS BRUSSELS
President Abdullah Gul yesterday met with European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels. Afterwards, Barroso told a joint press conference that Turkey should take steps to strengthen fundamental rights and freedoms. Touching on a recent tax evasion fine on the Dogan Media Group, Barroso said, "We place great importance on showing respect for freedom of the press." For his part, Gul said that he and Barroso had discussed both Turkish-EU relations and current global issues. Stating that Turkey's EU membership accession is continuing in earnest, Gul said, "This isn't an easy process." He added, "It's a long process. Much remains to be done. Turkey is gaining strength in its EU process. The Turkish people also back this process. It will continue this way, no one should doubt it." Gul also delivered the closing speech of the European Business World Summit and met with Belgium's King Albert II and Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht as well as Guenter Verheugen, the European Commission vice president responsible for enterprise and industry. /Cumhuriyet/
DANISH PARLIAMENT DEBATES TURKEY
Turkey will join the European Union if fulfills the necessary conditions, and there will be no need for a referendum, said Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller yesterday. During a debate over whether Turkey is moving towards the EU or radical Islam, based on a question submitted by the radical Danish People's Party of Denmark, an outside supporter of the government, Moller said, "The EU is determined to develop its relations with Turkey. It's true that there have been some developments contrary to the Copenhagen Criteria in Turkey, but it wouldn't be appropriate to send Turkey away from Europe." In related news, Hamid El Musti, an ethnic Moroccan member of a local council of in Denmark, sent an open letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urging him not to veto Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen becoming NATO's next secretary-general. /Milliyet/
SEARCH EFFORTS FOR BBP'S YAZICIOGLU CONTINUE
Search and rescue efforts to find a helicopter carrying five people, including Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Muhsin Yazicioglu, which crashed Wednesday in the central province of Kahramanmaras have yet to yield results. At a press conference yesterday in Goksun, Kahramanmaras, Interior Minister Besir Atalay yesterday said that more than 2,000 people have been involved in efforts to find the crash site, but that locating the helicopter has been difficult because there no are location signals coming from it. Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin visited BBP headquarters, saying, "Every means is being used to find Yazicioglu and the others. Using this situation for political ends would be a mistake." Just days before Sunday's local elections, all parties yesterday cancelled their election rallies due to the accident. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the Goksun province and was briefed by Atalay and Adana Gendarmerie officials about the latest developments. Also visiting BBP headquarters, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal told reporters he knows everyone involved in the rescue efforts is doing their best, but that the lack of information so far is discouraging. /Turkiye-Sabah/
IRAQ'S MALIKI: "THE PKK IS A TERRORIST GROUP WHICH HAS CAUSED CRISES BETWEEN IRAQ AND TURKEY"
The Iraqi government has taken urgent measures to get the terrorist PKK out of its territories, said Iraqi National Security Minister Shirwan al-Waili yesterday. He also underlined that the process of getting rid of the PKK has benefited greatly from intelligence sharing between Ankara, Baghdad and Washington. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also said that the PKK is a terrorist group which has caused crises between Iraq and Turkey. "This matter must be ended," he added. "Our will is decisive. There is no place for terrorist organizations." /Sabah/
ITALY'S FINI: "IF THE EU MAKES A WRONG DECISION ON TURKEY, IT WILL DESTABILIZE ITS OWN FUTURE"
Turkey is secular and a NATO member country and plays an important role in the region, said Italian Parliament Speaker Gianfranco Fini yesterday. Speaking to Sabah daily in Rome, he added, "I don't want the EU to reject Turkey just because it's a majority-Muslim country. If Turkey doesn't apply the EU criteria, then the Union should reject Turkey's membership. Membership cannot be based on religious or geographical grounds." Stating that Turkey should be granted full EU membership when it meets all the criteria, he added, "If the EU destabilizes Turkey with a wrong decision, it will also destabilize its future." /Sabah/
BABACAN TO ATTEND SCO MEETING TODAY
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will go to Moscow, Russia today to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting about the situation in Afghanistan. /Today's Zaman/