TURKEY MOURNS YASSER ARAFAT
Turkish leaders issued messages yesterday expressing their deep sorrow over the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The Palestinian leader, 75, who passed away yesterday in France after 10-plus days of medical treatment, was one of the Turkish public’s favorite world leaders and had enjoyed decades of warm relations with Turkish politicians. “I learned with deep sorrow of the passing away of Yasser Arafat, the esteemed statesman, leader of the Palestinian people, my friend and brother,” President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said in a message of condolences to Palestinian Parliament Speaker Rawhi Fattuh. Sezer praised Arafat’s efforts to make peace in the Middle East and said that his death would not sway the Palestinian quest for statehood. Also issuing messages of regret at the Palestinian leader’s loss were Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, and political party leaders, including opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, as well as former President Suleyman Demirel, who had a close relationship with Arafat during his terms both as prime minister and president of Turkey. Furthermore, Erdogan, Gul and Baykal will represent Turkey today at Arafat’s funeral in Cairo, Egypt. /All Papers/

ERDOGAN CONTINUES EU VISITS TO PROMOTE TURKEY’S BID
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is continuing his visits to European Union countries to drum up support for Turkey’s EU membership bid. This weekend, Erdogan is set to hold a series of contacts in Luxembourg, which is due to become EU president on Jan. 1. At the end of next week, Erdogan is expected to attend the two-day 10th European Forum in Berlin. In addition, the premier has reportedly ordered state ministries to make an all-out effort on Turkey’s EU membership bid in the runup to next month’s EU summit, where Ankara expects a date to begin its accession talks./Turkiye/

BAYKAL IN SOUTH AFRICA NEXT WEEK TO ATTEND SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL MEETING
Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal is due to travel to Johannesburg on Monday to attend a meeting of the Socialist International. South African President Mvuyelva Thabo will chair the meeting, which will focus on the priorities of the Socialist International, sustainable growth and the African Union. During his short stay, Baykal will also hold bilateral meetings with leaders of European Union member states. /Milliyet/

OZKOK: “THE MOST SERIOUS THREAT TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS TERRORISM”
Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok said yesterday that Turkey believes that countries no longer pose a threat to each other, rather they all face the common grave threat of terrorism. Speaking at a luncheon, Ozkok lamented the great costs borne by the Turkish nation due to terrorism, adding that terrorism would continue to be one of its chief concerns. /Milliyet/

CHP SENDS SARIGUL TO DISCIPLINARY BOARD
The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Central Executive Board (MYK) decided yesterday to send Mustafa Sarigol, the mayor of Istanbul’s Sisli district, to the party’s Higher Disciplinary Board. After a MYK meeting chaired by leader Deniz Baykal, Deputy Chairman Esref Erdem told reporters that a three-deputy investigative commission had presented a 60-page report on Sarigul. Stressing that the mayor faced serious charges, Erdem said that the MYK had decided to send him to the CHP Disciplinary Board with a recommendation that he be expelled from the party. /Turkiye/

TALAT: “OUR EFFORTS TO MOVE CLOSER TO THE EU WILL NOT FLAG”
We won’t let up on efforts to end our isolation and eventually enter the European Union, said Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday in a televised address to the nation. “Even if it is difficult, we are moving towards ending our isolation, establishing free trade with the EU, and free movement,” said Talat. /Star/

BABACAN: “TURKEY WILL SIGN A NEW IMF DEAL NEXT MONTH”
The government will sign a new letter of intent (LOI) with the International Monetary Fund next month, said Economy Minister Ali Babacan at a Wednesday dinner with journalists. “We will sign a letter of intent after Dec. 1, but how long after I cannot say at the moment,” Babacan added. “We will do it as soon as we finish our work.” According to Babacan, Turkey will see inflation fall to 5% by 2006 as well as economic growth of 5% in both 2006 and 2007. /Aksam/

IMF’S DAWSON: “DISCUSSIONS ON A NEW STANDBY ARE CONTINUING”
Tom Dawson, the external affairs director for the International Monetary Fund, said Tuesday that the Turkish government had made progress on a number of key issues, including the 2005 budget, monetary policy and the medium-term macroeconomic framework. Addressing a press conference, Dawson stressed that negotiations on a new standby agreement were continuing. “The [Ankara] government is now finalizing the details of their policies to ensure their effective implementation and working to flesh out the specifics of structural reforms," he said, adding that its work focused especially on taxes, social security and on a new banking law, the latter with the help of an IMF technical team. /Hurriyet/