SEZER: “LANGUAGE IS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF INDEPENDENCE”
In a message issued yesterday in celebration of Language Day, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated that language was a fundamental, inseparable element of national independence, asking every Turkish citizen to use it correctly so as to develop Turkey’s cultural identity. He further remarked that the creativity of a nation was directly linked to the development of its language, adding that new words should be coined to meet the needs of scientific and technological developments. /Cumhuriyet/

ECEVIT TO SHARON: “LIFT THE SIEGE”
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday sent a letter to Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon asking his counterpart to lift the Israeli Army’s siege against Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Ecevit reportedly said that he shared Israel’s pain at the recent resumption of terrorist attacks after a six-week period of relative calm. But, he added, one could never achieve peace and stability by surrounding Palestinian cities. Ecevit also remarked that Turkey was ready to do whatever it could to help find a solution to the problem. In addition, Ecevit also sent a letter to US President George W. Bush reiterating that sieges were no solution and asking Bush to pressure Israel to end the current siege. /Hurriyet/

GUREL “THE EU HAS NOT RECIPROCATED TURKEY’S POSITIVE STEPS”
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel yesterday visited Copenhagen, Denmark in the midst of his three-capital European tour to promote Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Denmark currently holds the rotating EU presidency. Gurel remarked that the Turkish Parliament had recently taken significant steps by passing a reform package to fulfill the EU’s Copenhagen criteria. Gurel stressed that despite Turkey’s great efforts, the EU had as yet failed to set a specific date for the beginning of Turkey’s membership negotiations. He also criticized the EU for failing to take positive steps on the Cyprus issue. /Cumhuriyet/

DENKTAS: “AS ANNAN ASKED, I HAVE TAKEN NEW STEPS”
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas told reporters yesterday that the Turkish Cypriot side had taken new steps towards a settlement to the 38-year dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots on the island. Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary-general, had told both sides at their Paris meeting earlier this month that he expected to see new steps from them in advance of their New York meeting scheduled for Oct. 3-4. Commenting on his negotiations with Greek Cypriot officials, Denktas denied claims that territory was a subject open to negotiation, adding that the map of Cyprus had not been discussed during talks. After the New York meeting, Denktas and Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides will begin the seventh round of direct starting on Oct. 11. /Cumhuriyet/

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON BTC’S CEYHAN LEG
Construction on the Ceyhan leg of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline project began yesterday with a groundbreaking ceremony. In a speech delivered at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz underlined the importance of the BTC, saying that the pipeline would serve the interest of both Turkey and its Central Asian neighbors. “After its scheduled completion in 2005, the project will provide service for 40 years,” said Yilmaz. “For the first 15 years, Turkey will receive $200 million, and then $300 million for the remaining period.” He added that the BTC would help Turkey meet its own oil needs and make it a standard-bearer into the Mediterranean oil market. /Turkiye/

FIFTH EURASIAN ECONOMIC SUMMIT BEGINS
The Fifth Eurasian Economic Summit yesterday began in Istanbul with the attendance of some 110 high-level bureaucrats from 25 countries. In addition to economic cooperation between regional countries, the fight against terrorism is expected to be discussed during the three-day summit. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer sent a written message to be delivered at the meeting. Stressing that the summit would contribute to new economic developments in the region, Sezer emphasized the necessity of cooperation between regional countries. “Turkey has taken very important steps to improve its relations with those countries in both the economic and commercial realms, and it will continue to do so,” Sezer added. /Turkiye/

PAPANDREOU: “WE WANT TO WORK HAND-IN-HAND WITH TURKEY”
Speaking at the Fifth Eurasian Economic Summit yesterday, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou said that Greece wants to help Turkey with its European Union membership bid and to find its place in the Union. “We want to work hand-in-hand together with Turkey on the EU issue,” stated Papandreou. Papandreou also said that solving Turkey’s EU issues was also important in terms of Europe’s relations with Eurasia. /Aksam/

WOLFENSOHN: “TURKEY’S ECONOMY IS STABLE”
Speaking at a press conference in Washington yesterday, World Bank President James Wolfensohn declared that Turkey’s economy was stable. Wolfensohn also said that Turkey was going through a transitional period due to its election atmosphere, but that the WB had worked hard to ease this transition. “We are working together with the Turkish government and I will meet with Turkish Economy Minister Masum Turker,” said Wolfensohn. Wolfensohn and Turker are both in the US capital to attend the annual meetings of the WB and the International Monetary Fund. /Hurriyet/

SADDAM HUSSEIN TO SEND MESSAGE TO SEZER
Iraqi Vice President Tariq Aziz will be travelling to Ankara on Sunday to deliver a message from Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. After meeting with Sezer on Monday, Aziz is also expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. Diplomatic sources said yesterday that Turkey would request from Aziz that United Nations weapon inspectors have unimpeded access to all Iraqi military facilities. In related news, Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli said yesterday that Turkey would under no circumstances accept the establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq. /Cumhuriyet/

IRAQI OPPOSITION GROUPS’ NEVSEHIR SUMMIT BEGINS TODAY
The “Iraq and Democracy” summit organized by the Iraqi Research Institute is to begin today in the central Anatolian province of Nevsehir. Besides representatives of Iraqi opposition groups, British, Finnish, Danish and Turkish scholars are also expected to attend the three-day meeting. Mustafa Ziya, Turkey representative for the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF), stated yesterday that the meeting would be a great opportunity for scholars to discuss a host of important issues such as Iraq’s various ethnic groups, problems regarding democracy, restructuring Iraq’s social fabric as well as recent developments in the region. /Cumhuriyet/

TURKEY SENDS $500,000 IN AID TO AFGHANISTAN
The Turkish government recently released $500,000 to Afghanistan as the first tranche of $5 million in financial aid it had pledged to help the country’s reconstruction efforts over a five-year period. The remainder of the grant is slated to be allocated for agriculture, health and education. /Cumhuriyet/

TURKMEN GROUPS: “WE EXPECT TURKEY’S SUPPORT”
Turkmen opposition groups yesterday reacted harshly to a draft constitution announced this week by the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) and the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP), one which proposed the establishment of a federation in Iraq in a possible post-Saddam period. “This was a one-sided decision,” said Mustafa Kemal Yaycili, a member of the Iraqi National Council and honorary chairman of the Iraqi National Turkmen Party. “Turkmen groups don’t want a federation to be established in Iraq, which would, we believe, plunge the country into a domestic war. It’s obvious that the IPUK and IKDP are out to expand their territories. We expect Turkey to support us on this issue.” /Sabah/

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