ARINC TO VISIT THE US
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc is due to leave for the US today to pay an official visit. Arinc is expected to meet with US House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert and other high-level officials in Washington. After completing his contacts there, Arinc is set to proceed to Chicago, and return to Turkey on Sunday. /Star/

GUL TRAVELS TO SWEDEN
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday traveled to Sweden to attend the NATO-Europe-Atlantic Partnership Council Security Forum. Before his departure, at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport, Gul told reporters that the meeting would be the first order of business and he would then meet with his counterparts of the member countries during working dinners and panels. In addition, Gul, accompanied by State Minister Guldal Aksit, will attend a panel on women’s rights in Stockholm today. /Turkiye/

PERES OFFERS SUPPORT TO TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Labor Party leader Shimon Peres yesterday offered full support to Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, who is currently visiting Israel to attend a meeting of the Socialist International, met with Peres. Their talks reportedly focused on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as well as Turkey’s EU membership bid. Peres said that Turkey must join the Union, adding that he was ready to talk with European leaders and to lobby to convince them on the matter. After his contacts in Tel Aviv, Baykal arrived in Ramallah in the West Bank and visited the tomb of veteran Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. /Aksam/

MERKEL’S POSSIBLE RISE IN GERMANY CAUSES CONCERN IN ANKARA
Ankara is concerned with Sunday’s decision in Germany to hold early elections. After the polls expected this fall, Turkey will face a difficult period on its road to European Union membership if the Christian Democrats led by Angela Merkel come to power. Merkel is known for her opposition to Ankara’s EU membership, as she has proposed a “special partnership” rather than full membership. Commenting on the matter, Gul said that the elections in Germany would not affect Turkey’s EU membership process. “Turkey’s relations are not with parties but with states,” added Gul. /Turkiye/

“YES” CAMPAIGN WORKS TO CONVINCE FRANCE
European leaders are looking for ways to convince France to accept the European Union Constitution. The EU Constitution was prepared after long years of effort and will face its most difficult test yet next Sunday in France in a referendum. According to the latest public opinion polls, 52% of the French people don’t favor the Constitution, and so its supporters are working to promote it. As part of promotional campaigns, there are posters in Rome, Italy, saying, “The EU Constitution belongs to everybody,” and Italian Leftist Democrats have called on Romans to send e-mails encouraging their French friends to support the Constitution. In addition, many EU leaders are actively supporting these “yes” campaigns. German Prime Minister Gerhard Schroeder, who recently suffered a heavy election defeat in his country, and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski visited Paris last week to lend support to the “yes” campaign. Schroeder will visit France again this Thursday to participate in the “yes” meeting of socialists in Toulouse. The same day, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is expected to visit Lille, France. Those favoring the “no” campaign are also generally against Turkey’s EU membership. /Cumhuriyet/

US DIPLOMAT: “WE WILL OVERCOME THE TRNC’S ISOLATION”
Speaking to Greek daily Kozmas Tu Ependiti, US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicolas Burns said the Turkish Cypriot nation had showed tremendous political will by saying yes to reunification in last year’s referendum. “The US’ policy of ending the isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is clear,” he added. “Our new policy is going into practice. We recognize the Greek Cypriot administration in the diplomatic sense. We’ve started to establish economic relations with the Turkish side. Our businessmen have started initiatives on this issue. We’ve started to bring Turkish Cypriot students to the US, just like we brought Greek Cypriots before. We’re working to reunite the island. Of course we also support those in the north who favor this reunion.” /Cumhuriyet/

TURKEY TO ESTABLISH INTERVENTION FORCE WITH ROMANIA, ITALY
The European Union is expanding its project for battle groups which can intervene anywhere in the world. Under this project, Turkey decided to participate in a joint battle group with Italy and Romania. After the group begins operations, Turkish soldiers will participate in EU military operations. The letter of intent for the establishment of this group was signed by Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul in Brussels yesterday. With this letter, Turkey will start preparations starting next year and the battle group will become operational in 2009. /Milliyet/

AGAR TO SELECT DYP ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar will shape his party’s leadership this week. The General Administration Council (GIK) will hold its first meeting on Tuesday. Four deputies recently resigned from the DYP after Agar shut them out of party leadership positions. The general administration board consisting of 13 members will also be elected by the GIK. /Hurriyet/

TURKEY SENDS HUMANITARIAN AID TO GEORGIA
Turkey has sent two truckfulls of humanitarian aid to Georgia to help those suffering from last month’s flood disaster. At the Georgian government’s request and with Turkish Red Crescent help, two trucks carrying over 17 tons of food and 10 packages of water purification tablets left Ankara for Georgia yesterday. /Hurriyet/

NETHERLANDS COMMANDER VISITS TURKEY
Netherlands Land Forces Commander Gen. Marcel Urlings, visiting Turkey yesterday, met with his Turkish counterpart Yasar Buyukanit. The two top commanders remarked that the two countries had friendly relations and good military cooperation and agreed to further develop these ties. /Star/

ANTALYA HOSTS CoE PARLIAMENTARIANS’ ASSEMBLY MEETING
The Council of Europe (CoE) Parliamentarians’ Assembly Economic Affairs and Development Commission meeting began in Antalya yesterday. Speaking at the gathering, commission Chairman Evgeni Kirilov praised Ankara’s recent reforms on the road to European Union membership. Stressing that Turkey was a CoE member which had always acted with responsibility and altruistically, Kirilov said that during the gathering, Turkey’s recent situation would be taken up. Also addressing the meeting, head of the Turkish delegation and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Eskisehir Deputy Murat Mercan remarked that over the last three years, Turkey had marked very positive economic developments through wise policies, adding that Ankara would move ahead decisively on the road to EU membership. /Turkiye/

HAYDARPASA STATION ADDS GERMAN HISTORY
A plaque in German telling the history of Istanbul’s Haydarpasa Station, which was constructed by the German Anatolian-Baghdad Company in 1906 and came into service in 1908, was unveiled yesterday after Turkish State Railways (TCDD) Deputy General Director Erol Inan and German Ambassador in Turkey Wolf-Ruthart Born cut the ribbon. Noting that the brief history located at the entrance of the station had been in Turkish and English only, Inan said, “We wrote a brief history in German at the entrance upon Born’s request.” /Milliyet/