ERDOGAN CALLS ON AKP OFFICIALS TO TACKLE UNEMPLOYMENT
Speaking at his party’s Central Executive Board (MKYK) meeting yesterday, Prime Minister and Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on his fellow AKP officials to prepare projects designed to tackle unemployment, one of the nation’s most pressing problems. “During last fall’s election campaign, our party made pledges to the nation about the economy,” said Erdogan. “I want our AKP deputies to prepare projects to help the nation overcome its unemployment problem.” State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan, Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti, and just-appointed Treasury Undersecretary Ibrahim Halil Carmikci also attended the meeting to brief participants on recent economic developments. In his remarks, Serdengecti stated that Turkey’s economy was improving with each passing day. /Milliyet/
GUL FACES BUSY TRAVEL SCHEDULE THIS MONTH
Following last weekend’s unofficial European Union foreign ministers’ meeting, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is set to continue his heavy diplomatic schedule through this month. He is due to visit Sofia, Bulgaria on next Monday and Tuesday, May 12-13, then on May 15-16 he will attend a meeting of the European Convention in Brussels, Belgium. In the third week of the month, Gul is set to visit to Pakistan. Turkey’s top diplomat is later expected to travel to Crete to attend an EU-Mediterranean foreign ministers’ meeting on May 25. Finally, he will represent Turkey at the Organization for Islamic Conference (OIC) 30th foreign ministers’ meeting in Tehran, Iran at the end of this month. /Turkiye/
BUSH CALLS SEZER TO EXTEND CONDOLENCES, DISCUSS CYPRUS AND TURKISH-US RELATIONS
US President George W. Bush yesterday called his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Necdet Sezer to discuss a number of issues, including Cyprus and Turkish-US relations. During their conversation, Bush first extended his condolences for the victims of last week’s earthquake in Bingol and said that the US stood ready to help any way it could. Then Bush said that he wanted Ankara’s support for a negotiated settlement on Cyprus. Sezer replied that he welcomed recent developments on the island such as Turkish Cyprus opening its borders with Greek Cyprus and reiterated that Turkey too wanted a solution on the island. “Both the Turkish and Greek Cypriots will compromise to reach a solution,” said Sezer, adding that expecting only the island’s Turks to make concessions would be unfair. He stressed that Turkish-US relations carried great importance and that they should be further developed. The two countries should also cooperate in Iraq’s reconstruction process, the Turkish leader added. /Milliyet/
CABINET MINISTERS DISCUSS BINGOL EARTHQUAKE
The Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan convened yesterday. The main topic of the meeting was last week’s devastating earthquake in the eastern province of Bingol. Following the three-and-a-half-hour gathering, the ministers announced that they had agreed to construct some 2,500 houses in the region by the end of this year to provide shelter to citizens whose houses were destroyed by the quake. Cabinet spokesman and Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told reporters that a “Crisis Committee” had also been established to coordinate rehabilitation work in the region. The ministers also took up the economy and discussed ways to create new revenue streams. /Turkiye/
ITALIAN PM BERLUSCONI TO VISIT ANKARA
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is set to pay a two-day official visit to Ankara on next Monday and Tuesday, May 12-13. Berlusconi was invited to Turkey by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his tour of Rome last November, just after the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power. The Italian prime minister recently made remarks in favor of Turkey’s EU membership bid, and Italy is due to take over the rotating EU term presidency on July 1. Therefore, Turkish diplomatic circles expect an improvement in Turkish-EU relations in the second half of the year. /Cumhuriyet/
WASHINGTON: “TURKISH FIRMS SHOULD AGREE TO BE PARTNERS WITH KURDISH FIRMS IN IRAQ’S RECONSTRUCTION”
The United States is reportedly planning to use upcoming bidding processes to select firms for Iraq’s reconstruction as a means of applying political pressure on Ankara. Certain American circles are known to oppose Turkish firms’ participation in Iraq’s reconstruction. Washington also recently conveyed messages to Turkish businessmen that their construction companies should agree to be partners with Kurdish firms if they want to do business in postwar Iraq. Kurdish leaders such as top Iraqi Kurdish official Barham Salih of the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IKDP) recently also made similar remarks, stressing that it would be easier for Turkish companies to win tenders in Iraq if they agree to form partnerships with Kurdish firms. /Star/
TURKEY’S EMBASSY IN IRAQ TO BE REOPENED THIS WEEK
Turkey is expected to reopen its embassy in Baghdad this week. Reportedly, Ambassador Osman Paksut and other embassy staff who were ordered to evacuate the facility in February for their own safety just before the Iraq war are to travel to Baghdad this week to reopen the embassy. /Turkiye/
IMF OFFICIALS KRUEGER AND KIEKENS DUE IN TURKEY
International Monetary Fund (IMF) First Deputy Managing Director Anne Krueger and Executive Director Willy Kiekens are expected to arrive in Turkey today and will reportedly begin holding contacts with Turkish officials in Ankara tomorrow. Reza Moghadam, set to become new IMF Turkey desk chief later this month in place of the departing Juha Kahkonen, will accompany Krueger during her visit. Later Krueger and Kiekens will attend a three-day “Istanbul Forum” meeting beginning on Thursday. Before this they are expected to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and state economy ministers to discuss recent economic developments in Turkey. /Milliyet/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION