GUL ATTENDS NATO SUMMIT
President Abdullah Gul is set to attend a NATO heads of state and government summit starting today in Baden-Baden and Kehl, Germany, and Strasbourg, France. The two-day meeting will be chaired by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as host. During the summit, France is expected to announce its return to NATO's military command. /Star/

WORLD LEADERS AGREE ON $1.1 TLN ANTI-CRISIS PACKAGE
In a bid to tackle the global economic crisis and reduce its impact on stability, growth and jobs across the globe, the G-20 heads of state and government summit in London, hosted by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, yesterday ended with a series of measures by attending leaders to shorten the global recession and save jobs. Accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Nazim Ekren and State Minister for the Economy Mehmet Simsek, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan represented Turkey at the summit. At a press conference on the new measures, Brown said, "There are no quick fixes but we can shorten the recession and save jobs, and prevent a crisis such as this ever happening again. We have reached a new consensus to tackle the crisis together. We will do what is necessary to restore growth and jobs." The leaders agreed to triple their funding for the International Monetary Fund to $750 billion so it can give loans to countries hit by the crisis. They also agreed on a $250 billion financial package to support global trade, hit hard by the crisis. They agreed to transfer $100 to development banks all over the world to enable them to give credit to the poorest countries. Under the measures, the IMF will sell some of its gold reserves to raise more cash to give more loans to poor countries. They pledged to allow "candid, even-handed and independent" surveillance of their economies and financial sectors by the IMF, which will take an increasingly central role in global oversight. A new financial stability board will work with the IMF to identify economic and financial risks and measures needed to address them. They also pledged to strictly regulate and closely supervise large hedge funds, credit rating institutions, pay and bonuses to bankers, and to end banking secrets harming the financial system. Before posing for a group photo along with other leaders at the summit, Erdogan spoke briefly with US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkanende. /Sabah/,

TURKEY, IMF AGREE TO RESTART DIRECT TALKS
On the sidelines of the G-20 heads of state and governments summit in London yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn. During the closed-door meeting, both parties agreed in principle to restart talks for a possible new loan agreement. Deputy Premier Nazim Ekren, State Minister for the Economy Mehmet Simsek and IMF First Deputy Managing Director John Lipsky also attended. Erdogan also gave an address on Turkey's role in the Alliance of Civilizations at a conference hosted by Oxford University's Islamic Studies Center. In his speech, Erdogan stressed the importance of dialogue among different religions and cultures, and called for mutual respect and tolerance. Underlining that Turkey opposes all forms of terrorism, Erdogan said Turkey, a democratic, secular state with a majority-Muslim population, is working hard to promote greater cooperation among different civilizations. /Turkiye/

OBAMA TO ADDRESS PARLIAMENT ON MONDAY
After arriving in Ankara this Sunday for his first-ever visit to Turkey, US President Barack Obama will meet with Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan on Monday. Afterwards, he will meet with main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli, and Democratic Society Party (DTP) leader Ahmet Turk. Later that day, Obama will address Parliament. /Milliyet/

CHP'S BAYKAL: "NOW WE MUST FOCUS ON THE ECONOMY"
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday visited the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ATSO) and newly elected Antalya Mayor Mustafa Akaydin. Asked whether the ruling party's relatively weak performance in the recent local elections would trigger early general elections, Baykal said, "Turkey is in an economic crisis . In such an atmosphere, as the main opposition party, we think that leaving Turkey's agenda up to political debates is inappropriate. Turkey should address its real agenda and carry out proposals for the economy. It would be a grave mistake for us to derail such plans. I expect the ruling party to take action to address Turkey's needs." /Cumhuriyet/

AZERI FM VOICES CONCERN OVER OPENING OF TURKISH-ARMENIAN BORDER
If the border between Turkey and Armenia were opened without Armenian occupying forces pulling out from Azeri land, this would hurt Azerbaijan's national interest, said Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov yesterday. Speaking to Azerbaijan's ANS TV, Mammadyarov stated that they had conveyed their concerns to Turkey, adding, "Turkey found these concerns reasonable." /Milliyet/

TRT'S NEW KURDISH AND ARMENIAN RADIO STATIONS ON AIR
The state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) has begun radio broadcasts in Kurdish and Armenian. Kurdish radio programs began on Wednesday while Armenian radio programs began yesterday, said the broadcaster. /Star/