SEZER VISITS PORTUGAL
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday traveled to Lisbon to pay an official visit at the invitation of his Portuguese counterpart Jorge Sampaio. Before his departure, Sezer told reporters that he would be reciprocating Sampaio’s September 2003 visit to Turkey, adding that Ankara placed great importance on Portugal’s support. The president is set to begin his official talks today with a meeting with Sampaio. /Star/

ERDOGAN ATTENDS VE DAY CELEBRATIONS IN MOSCOW
World leaders including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday arrived in Moscow to participate in Victory in Europe Day ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany at the end of World War II. About 50 world leaders including US President George W. Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, Kyrgyz leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan attended the parade held in Red Square hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. While Erdogan shook hands with Armenian President Robert Kocharian at the ceremonies, he also conveyed Turkey’s dissatisfaction to Putin and Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski over their parliaments’ recent recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide. “The UN may soon lead a new round of peace talks to reunite Cyprus,” said Erdogan at a press conference in Ankara upon his return from Moscow. “Annan said a new peace process can be launched, and I saw that the Greek Cypriot side wouldn't oppose this. We can hold more meetings on the issue with the secretary- general during a visit to the US in the first half of June.” /Hurriyet/

GUL: “A ‘NO’ VOTE IN EUROPE WOULDN’T AFFECT TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP”
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that results of the referendums on the European Union Constitution in certain European countries would not affect Turkey’s EU membership prospects. Speaking at a luncheon in Ankara with EU countries’ ambassadors and diplomats to mark May 9 European Day, Gul denied allegations that Ankara had slowed down in its efforts on the road to membership. “Our government will stick to the reform process to the end,” said Gul. Briefing the group about reforms to be implemented, Gul stated that Oct. 3, the date set for Turkey to begin accession talks, would be the beginning of a new era between Turkey and the EU. “Turkey is determined to be part of the future,” added Gul. /Turkiye/

GUL TRAVELS TO ROMANIA
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday traveled to Bucharest, Romania to attend the South East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP) Eight Summit. Before his departure, Gul said that the gathering would focus on new ways to further cooperation in the region. He added that he would also be able to meet with his counterparts from Balkan countries. After completing his contacts in Romania, Gul is set to proceed to Kiev, Ukraine tomorrow. /Turkiye/

DERVIS RESIGNS FROM CHP, PARLIAMENT TO TAKE UN POST
Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul Deputy and newly confirmed head of the United Nations Development Program Kemal Dervis yesterday submitted his resignation to the Parliament Speaker’s. Office. Dervis, who is expected to address Parliament tomorrow, also met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to thank him for his support for the appointment. Stressing that he would officially begin his duty in August, Dervis said that he would represent Turkey during his term in office. /Sabah/

ITALIAN FM FINI: “THE EU NEEDS TURKEY, SO A FRENCH REJECTION OF THE CONSTITUTION SHOULD NOT IMPACT TURKEY”
Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini said that a possible French rejection of the draft EU constitution should not stop the bloc from opening membership talks with Turkey on Oct. 3. In an interview with the Financial Times, Fini reaffirmed that Italy is a "supporter of Turkey's EU membership bid," and suggested that the EU should press ahead with its plans. Fini said he was "rather optimistic" about the French referendum, stressing that even a French “no” should not deter Brussels from embracing Turkey. "In an effort to fulfill the EU criteria, Turkey has made radical changes,” Fini said. "Turkey is already part of NATO. It's a pillar of stability in its region. It's a major Muslim country. We can't say No just because they are Muslim. The accession of Turkey would be a sign of the full compatibility of Islam with democracy.” He pointed out that a further rejection from Europe could be seen as a push towards fundamentalism because Turkey is making great efforts to join the Union. In related news, the Italian Foreign Ministry has established a permanent Turkey desk with a ceremony attended by Fini and Turkey’s Ambassador to Rome Ugur Ziyal. Fini said that Italy regards Turkey as a strategic partner and wants to improve its relations with the country. /Aksam/

BRITISH AMBASSADOR WESTMACOTT: “TURKEY SHOULDN’T EXPECT PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT”
British Ambassador to Ankara Peter Westmacott yesterday attended a panel titled “The Future of Turkish-EU Relations” at Parliament. Stressing that Turkey should not expect preferential treatment from Britain, which will take over the rotating EU presidency in June, Westmacott underlined that Ankara should accelerate its reform process to fulfill the criteria required by the Union. “Our friends might of course express their expectations from us,” he said. “However, the EU term president must be impartial. You should amend the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) as soon as possible.” /Milliyet/

TURKEY BOWS OUT OF CUSTOMS SUMMIT IN GREEK CYPRUS
The European Union Directorate General for Customs summit will be held this week in the Greek Cypriot city of Pafos. Turkey announced that it won’t send representatives since the summit will be held in southern Cyprus, which Ankara doesn’t recognize. The Customs Undersecretariat explained that it will not attend the meeting due to the problems on the island. /Milliyet/