ERDOGAN MEETS FRENCH PARLIAMENT SPEAKER
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with visiting French National Assembly Speaker Jean Louis Debre. Their meeting focused on Turkey’s European Union membership bid, allegations of a so-called Armenian genocide and the Cyprus issue. Regarding France’s recent decision making a public referendum on the accession of new members into the EU as of 2007, Erdogan called on French people to get rid of their prejudices against Turkey’s EU membership. He also told that historians were free to consult Ottoman archives and urged Armenians to open their archives for scientific inquiries as well. Concerning the Cyprus issue, Erdogan said that Turkish side was hurt as promises given to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) were not kept, adding that his government would work more active for a resolution to the Cyprus issue. Debre also visited his Turkish counterpart Bulent Arinc. After their talks, Arinc said that referendum would be on agenda not for the time being, but rather when accession to be discussed. “I believe that French people will take a positive stance against Turkey’s EU membership at that time,” said Arinc. /Turkiye/

ERDOGAN TO OPEN TURKEY’S NEW STOCK MARKET
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to open Turkey’s new stock market in Izmir today. The Forward Transaction and Option Stock Market (VOB) is expected to contribute greatly to the region’s economy. Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti yesterday stated that the VOB would be a significant step for Turkish economy, stressing that foreign investors were very much interested in the new stock market. In related news, Erdogan yesterday attended the banquette held by Izmir’s businessmen and representatives of the nongovernmental organizations in his honor. Stating that Turkey was making good progress in its path towards being a global power, Erdogan added that the world was impressed by Turkey’s and his government’s recent successful steps towards economic recovery and development. /Star/

GUL VISITS THE GREAT WALL AND FORBIDDEN CITY IN CHINA
On his third day in China, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and his accompanying delegation visited the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. Gul then had lunch with the ambassadors of the neighboring countries and proceeded to Shangai. Today, Gul is scheduled to be briefed by the government of the Pudong region. He will attend a meeting to be held by Turkish-Chinese businessmen. Besides, the Shangai Municipality will hold a banquette in honor of Gul tonight. /Star/

ITC RECEIVES SOME 85% OF THE VOTES OF IRAQI CITIZENS IN TURKEY
Some 85% of the Iraqi citizens who voted in Ankara and Istanbul for the Iraqi elections voted for the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC). While the Turkmen Nationalist Movement had 249 votes, the Talabani-Barzani alliance received 59 and the Kurdistan Democratic Resolution Party, 12. /Star/

TALAT: “ANKARA DOESN’T NEED TO WAIT UNTIL OCT. 3 TO SIGN CUSTOMS UNION PROTOCOL”
Addressing a conference in Istanbul yesterday, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat said that there was no need for Ankara to wait until Oct. 3 in order to sign the Customs Union Protocol. “If Ankara waits until Oct. 3, then Greek Cypriots will use this against us,” he said. Talat stated that the European Union and the United Nations should work hard to resolve the Cyprus issue, adding that after joining the EU in May, Greek Cypriots didn’t exert efforts for a resolution on the island. “The EU needs to urge Greek Cyprus for a resolution,” he said. “The UN should take action to help parts to reach a resolution and the UN Security Council should approve the report prepared by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.” /Cumhuriyet/

RICE TO ARRIVE IN ANKARA TOMORROW
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due to arrive in Ankara tomorrow for an official visit. During her stay in Ankara, Rice is expected to meet separately with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to discuss a number of issues, including Ankara’s concerns over Kirkuk. Rice is expected to stress that the US takes into consideration Ankara’s concerns about Kirkuk and the PKK/KADEK terrorist organization. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also expected to arrive in Ankara tomorrow to meet with Rice. /Aksam/

AGAR: “TURKEY SHOULDN’T WITHDRAW ITS TROOPS FROM CYPRUS BEFORE A JUST CYPRUS RESOLUTION”
Opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday met with visiting Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’s (TRNC) Ambassador to Ankara Tamer Gazioglu to discuss the Cyprus issue. Agar said that Turkey shouldn’t withdraw its troops from Cyprus before a just resolution is reached on the island, adding that there were two equal sovereign states on the island. He also criticized Greek Cypriots, saying that they were preventing a resolution. /Turkiye/

BARZANI: “KURDISH STATE WILL BE A REALITY WHEN THE RIGHT TIME COMES”
Massoud Barzani who heads the Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) said yesterday that establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq was not likely in the near future, but was inevitable. Commenting on an unofficial referendum held among Kurdish people alongside the last weekend’s elections in Iraq, Barzani said 95 percent of voters backed the independence of Kurds. “When the right time comes, an independent Kurdish state will be a reality,” said Barzani. /Turkiye/

TALABANI DECLARES HIS CANDIDACY FOR IRAQ’S TOP POSITION
Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani officially declared yesterday that he was a candidate for the post of prime minister or president in Iraq. He made this announcement at a press conference in the northern Iraqi city of Salahaddin, after a meeting with another Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani. He said that he was a candidate from a democratic Kurdish list for the post of prime minister or president, while Talabani would rice for the leadership of autonomous Kurdish region including Sulaimaniya, Arbil and Dohuk, in northern Iraq. He added that Nechirvan Barzani would be appointed to a post to establish regional government. Furthermore, Talabani reiterated that Turkey or any other country had no right to interfere in Iraq’s internal affairs. /Turkiye/

DIE RELEASES JANUARY INFLATION FIGURES
The State Institute of Statistics (DIE) yesterday released month-on-month inflation figures for January. Inflation last month was 0.55 percent on the consumer price index (CPI) and –0.41 percent on the wholesale price index (WPI), pushing year-to-year CPI to 9.23 percent and WPI to 10.70 percent. /All papers/