SEZER HEADED TO NATO MEETING IN ITALY
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, accompanied by Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, will travel to Rome, Italy to attend the joint NATO-Russian heads of state and government summit to be held tomorrow. A document regarding the establishment of a NATO-Russian Federation Council is expected to be signed at the meeting. /Turkiye/

BAHCELI BEGINS VISIT TO CHINA
Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli began his eight-day visit to China yesterday. Bahceli is being accompanied by Industry and Commerce Minister Kenan Tanrikulu, Transportation Minister Oktay Vural, State Minister Tunca Toskay, MHP Deputy Chairman Suleyman Servet Sazak and MHP Istanbul Deputy Mehmet Gul. Bahceli will visit to the Great Wall of China today and will also meet with People’s Republic of China Deputy Prime Minister Qian Qichen. He is also expected to meet with Chinese Communist Party Secretary-General and Prime Minister Zhu Rongji tomorrow. Following his contacts in Beijing, Bahceli and the accompanying delegation will proceed to Shanghai and the Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region, a region in northwest China where many thousands of Turkic-speaking, predominantly Muslim Uighurs live. /Sabah/

ECEVIT TO LEAVE HOSPITAL TODAY
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, who has been undergoing medical treatment at Baskent University Hospital since May 17, will reportedly leave the hospital to go home this afternoon. After a daily check-up yesterday, Ecevit’s doctors said that he was getting better. The prime minister is expected to address the nation tomorrow via television to update it on the government’s activities. He is also expected to attend a National Security Council (MGK) meeting scheduled for Friday. /All Papers/

YILMAZ: “THREE MEETINGS WILL PUT TURKEY’S EU ACCESSION ON TRACK”
Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz said yesterday that three upcoming meetings – this week’s National Security Council (MGK) meeting, a Cankaya summit called by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, and the government leaders’ summit – would put Turkey firmly on the track towards European Union membership. Appearing on CNN Turk, Yilmaz called June “a critical month” for Turkey tying up a date to start its EU accession negotiations. Speaking also on the Cyprus issue, Yilmaz stated that the Turkish side should openly declare to the world that it wants to find a solution to the problem. “If this is done, then the Greek Cypriots’ EU membership could be prevented,” he said. “But if the Greek Cypriots get into the EU, the Cyprus issue will change from a Turkish Cypriot-Greek Cypriot or Turkish-Greek problem to a Turkish-EU matter.” /Sabah/

MEHMET CEYLAN JOINS BBP
Independent Deputy from Sivas Mehmet Ceylan joined the Great Union Party (BBP) yesterday. Ceylan will be the sole representative in Parliament of the BBP, which brings the number of parties represented there to eight. /Turkiye/

JOURNALISTS DISCUSS POST-SEPT. 11 ENVIRONMENT
Journalists from the Middle East and Europe met this weekend at the Second International Journalism Days held at Middle East Technical University in Ankara. A highlight of the three-day event organized by the G-9 Platform was Friday’s “What Changed After Sept. 11? Globalization, the Media, and Democracy” event, a panel and discussion group to address the effect on the media of last September’s terrorist attacks. /Turkish Daily News/

US AMBASSADOR PEARSON MEETS WITH TOBB DELEGATION
US Ambassador Robert Pearson last week met with a delegation of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) to exchange views on recent economic developments. Remarking that the Turkish government had succeeded in overcoming recent economic problems, Pearson stated that political circles should focus on economic and political reforms father than expending their time and energy on speculations on such matters as early elections. Pearson and the delegation also discussed recent developments concerning the qualified industrial zones (QIZs) which are to be established in Turkey in accordance with an agreement signed by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit in the US earlier this year. The US has insisted that the OIZs produce high-tech products exclusively. However, Turkey has expressed dissatisfaction with this idea, demanding that the range of products to be produced in the QIZs be widened rather than restricting them to high-tech products only. /Cumhuriyet/

BERNARD LEWIS RECEIVES “ATATURK AWARD”
Historian Bernard Lewis yesterday received the “Ataturk Award” at a ceremony held by the Ataturk Society of America (ASA) in Washington. Lewis is professor emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. Richard Perle, former assistant secretary of defense and as a current consultant to the Pentagon, presented the award to Lewis at the Turkish Embassy in Washington. In a speech at the award ceremony, ASA Chairman Metin Camcigil stated that Lewis was a person who knew Turkey and Turkish culture well. He added that Lewis’ views on relations between the Islamic and Western worlds were very similar to Ataturk’s ideas, reiterating that the Ataturk Award, which represents “peace and universality,” was presented to Lewis for his contributions to the promotion of Turkish culture in the international community. /Cumhuriyet/

VISITING EUROPEAN BUSINESSMEN VOICE SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU BID
A delegation from a key European business group declared yesterday that ýt supports Turkey’s efforts to join the EU. Meeting with Turkish businessmen at a dinner at Istanbul’s Ciragan Hotel, the delegation from the 45-member European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT) spoke with their Turkish colleagues about the nation’s economic program in cooperation with the International Monetry Fund. The ERT delegation was evidently impressed by what they learned, and this is important since they have influence with EU member countries’ institutions and governments. Today the delegation is set to meet with Turkish Economy Minister Kemal Dervis. Jak Kamhi, an important Turkish businessman accompanying the delegation during its visit, is said to be having a positive effect on them and thus Turkish EU relations. /Millyet/

ISTANBUL TO HOST WORLD FREIGHT CONGRESS
The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) announced this weekend that it would hold its annual World Congress this year in Istanbul on Sept. 8-12. FIATA is one of the world’s largest trade organizations, with same 40,000 members. The deputy chairman of the Turkish Freight Forwarders Asssociation (UTIKAD) hailed the news, saying it would give Turkey an opportunity to show its worth to leading countries in the freight sector, such as the United States and member nations of the European Union. /Hurriyet/

KARACAOGLU BAKLAVA SOUGHT OUT BY GREEKS AND ISRAELIS
The Karacaoglu Group’s recent “Gold Star Award” handed out by the World Quality Committee has attracted many Greek and Israeli companies to become buyers of Karacaoglu’s baklava, the company’s pastry production chairman announced over the weekend. Chairman Fatih Mehmet Karaca said that even though a host of countries try to claim that they originated baklava, “Turks continue to produce the best and most reasonably priced baklava in the world.” /Aksam/

VURAL: “MORE GERMANS WILL VISIT TURKEY THIS YEAR”
Oger Tour Board of Directors Chairman Vural Oger said yesterday that he expected the number of German tourists visiting Turkey to increase this year. Oger stated that according to a study done by the Munich Tourism Research Institute, 7 million German people had plans to visit Turkey this year. He added that a number of German tourists expected in Turkey’s Aegean region had leapt by 40% and that Formula One racing competitions planned for the future would attract a whole new group of visitors. /Aksam/

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION