GUL COMPLETES MIDEAST TOUR IN BID FOR PEACE
After completing his tour of Middle Eastern countries including Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iran in a bid to resolve the Iraq issue through peaceful means, Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, accompanied by a delegation, yesterday returned to Ankara. On his final stop in Iran, Gul met with Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, Vice President Mohammed Reza Arefi and Foreign Minister Kemal Harrazi. Gul told reporters that he had discussed Turkish-Iranian bilateral relations as well as the Iraq issue with the Iranian officials. Stating that the aim of his tour was peace, Gul said, “Everybody, especially Iraq’s administration, should try to avert a war.” In related news, yesterday’s Tehran Times daily praised Gul’s contacts regarding the Iraq issue, saying that he was leading a serious effort to head off a possible war. /All Papers/

ARINC TO VISIT DENKTAS, OTHER LEADERS IN TRNC
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc is set to travel to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) tomorrow accompanied by 20 deputies who are members of Parliament’s Foreign Ministry and Defense Commission. Arinc is to hold separate meetings with TRNC President Rauf Denktas and Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu. Arinc is also scheduled to exchange views with officials from non-governmental organization (NGOs) and meet with several domestic party leaders, such as the National Union Party and the Republican Turkish Party. /Aksam/

STATE MINISTER TUZMEN MEETS SADDAM
State Minister Kursad Tuzmen returned to Ankara yesterday after completing a visit to Iraq, during which he met with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Tuzmen brought on his trip a message from Prime Minister Abdullah Gul to Saddam, reportedly stating that a war would not only harm countries in the region, but also across the entire world. “We ask the Iraqi administration to strive to prevent a war. Doing so is in your hands,” wrote Gul. In addition, Tuzmen met with Iraqi Vice President Taha Yasin Ramazan. After a one-hour meeting, Ramazan told reporters that Iraq wanted to boost its trade volume with Turkey. Stating that Iraq had no wish for armed conflict, Ramazan predicted that Turkey would be the country most affected by war in his country. En route to Ankara, Tuzmen said that his visit had been very fruitful and that bilateral trade relations had been discussed with Iraqi officials. He added that he was bringing back goodwill messages from Saddam to both President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as an unwritten message for Prime Minister Abdullah Gul. /Turkiye/

US JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN MYERS TO VISIT TURKEY
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers is set to visit Ankara this weekend to hold contacts in a bid for support for a possible military operation in Iraq. On the expected agenda of Myers’ visit are various US requests of Turkey, chief among them stationing US troops in the country and opening a northern front for an Iraq operation. In related news, several Iraqi opposition leaders will reportedly arrive in Ankara next week for a series of meetings. /Cumhuriyet/

SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITING ANKARA TODAY
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Sharaa is due to arrive in Ankara today to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Yasar Yakis. Al-Sharaa and Yakis are expected to confer on a possible US-led war in Iraq and the two countries’ respective stances in case of such a conflict. Al-Sharaa is also set to be received by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan. /Cumhuriyet/

PARRIS, DE SOTO VISIT AKP LEADER ERDOGAN
Former US Ambassador to Turkey Marc Parris visited ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the weekend. Speaking after their meeting, Parris said that the visit had been personal in nature, and that he had not given Erdogan any messages from the United States. Parris does not currently hold a US government post. In related news, United Nations Special Cyprus Envoy Alvaro de Soto also visited Erdogan, but declined to speak to reporters after their meeting. /Aksam/

ANAP ELECTS OZDEMIR ITS NEW LEADER
At its extraordinary congress over the weekend, the Motherland Party (ANAP) elected Ali Talip Ozdemir as its new leader. During the congress, Ozdemir won 640 votes out of 1078, while his closest competitor Lutfullah Kayalar got 428. Ozdemir succeeds Mesut Yilmaz, the longtime party leader who stepped down after ANAP’s poor showing in last November’s elections. On the second day of the congress, members of the Central Decision Board (MKYK) were also elected. Speaking after the congress, Ozdemir said that he would try to carry on the tradition of Turgut Ozal, who was ANAP leader and Turkish president when a heart attack claimed his life in 1993. /Milliyet/

FORMER PM ECEVIT: “THE EU ACCESSION OF THE GREEK CYPRIOT ADMINISTRATION IS ILLEGAL”
The Greek administration in Cyprus is illegitimate, and the European Union’s recent decision to proceed with its accession is clearly illegal, charged Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader and former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday. Speaking in Istanbul, Ecevit said that Turkey’s EU membership bid and the Cyprus issue were two separate matters, adding that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, his successors after the DSP’s loss at the polls last November, were acting “submissively” on Cyprus in order to bolster Turkey’s bid. Such a stance cannot be the nation’s official policy, criticized Ecevit. He added that the island has two separate and distinct cultures, religions, languages, as well as states and nations, and that anyone failing to recognize these realities could in no way contribute to a peaceful resolution. /Cumhuriyet/

LITERACY CAMPAIGN LED BY SEMRA SEZER, PRESIDENT’S WIFE, TEACHES 300,000 PEOPLE TO READ
Crowning a successful literacy campaign which has so far taught over 300,000 people to read, Semra Sezer, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer’s wife, yesterday handed out literacy certificates to some of the campaign’s graduates in Ankara. Mrs. Sezer said that the aim of the National Education Campaign, begun in 2001, was to enable everybody to receive a basic education, and that the literacy course graduates’ success was a victory not just for themselves, but for all of Turkey. /Milliyet/

BIDDING TO BEGIN ON ISTANBUL ELEVATED RAILWAY PROJECT
In an effort to reduce traffic congestion in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest metropolis with over 10 million people, the municipality leadership is due to open bidding soon for an elevated railway project. The 3.5-kilometer railway will initially connect the Bakirkoy and Incirli districts on the city’s European side, and construction is estimated to cost some TL 100 trillion and last a year-and-a half. /Turkiye/

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