SEZER APPROVES CANCELLATION OF UZAN CONCESSIONS ON TWO POWER STATIONS
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday approved a Cabinet decree cancelling the concession agreements of two power stations owned by the controversial Uzan group, namely the Cukurova Electric and Kepez Electric stations. Last Thursday, the Energy Markets Regulatory Authority (EPDK) decided to cancel the concessions, citing violations by both facilities of certain provisions of their agreements with the government. In related news, a regional court has rejected the Uzan Group’s appeal to have a stay order issued on the cancellations. Meanwhile, the Capital Markets Board (SPK) has launched an investigation into allegations of possible misuse of the power stations’ assets to finance the election campaigns of Cem Uzan’s Young Party (GP). /Sabah/
ERDOGAN MEETS WITH PAKISTANI PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF TO DISCUSS ECONOMIC TIES, REGIONAL ISSUES
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the midst of an official visit to Pakistan, yesterday met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad. During their talks, Erdogan and Musharraf discussed a number of issues including Cyprus, Iraq, and the disputed Kashmir region, and they also talked about ways to boost trade ties between their two nations. Musharraf said that his country supported the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC) bid to join the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Erdogan remarked that Ankara would continue to support Pakistan in the Kashmir dispute, and reiterated that Turkey favored a just solution in the border region. Also touching on the aftermath of recent US-led wars in the region, both Erdogan and Musharraf stated that chaos in Afghanistan and Iraq needed to be brought to an end as soon as possible. Later, speaking at a meeting of businessmen, Erdogan said that if bilateral economic and trade ties were bolstered, this would also contribute to the region’s economy. /Turkiye/
GUL: “I BELIEVE THAT BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR, TURKEY WILL NO LONGER NEED IMF HELP”
By the end of 2004, Turkey should no longer need the assistance of the International Monetary Fund, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul confidently predicted yesterday. He said that the government was determined to successfully implement and fulfill the IMF-sponsored economic program and that when this was done, IMF aid would no longer be needed. “This is what Turkey, the IMF, and the World Bank all want,” Gul told an economic conference. “If our politics proves its skill and steers us away from further crises, then we won’t need additional IMF loans.” The IMF’s involvement in Ankara’s affairs was a mistake of previous governments, he argued, adding that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government believed that Turkey could go it alone. Also touching on the government’s decision last week to take over two power stations, Gul underlined that Energy markets Regulatory Authority (EPDK) head Yusuf Gunay had clearly stated that the takeover decision was an unanimous one. “In our country, rules, laws and regulations apply to everyone,” he added. /Aksam/
ZIYAL CONTINUES WASHINGTON VISIT BY REAFFIRMING STRATEGIC TIES WITH GROSSMAN, WOLFOWITZ
Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal, currently in Washington to mend bilateral relations which were strained in the wake of Turkey’s refusal of US troop deployments for the Iraq war, yesterday met with US Undersecretaries of State Marc Grossman and Richard Armitage, US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Deputy National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. During their talks, Grossman told Ziyal that strategic ties between Turkey and the US carried great importance for both countries and that they wanted to continue close relations, adding that they had discussed all issues required by their alliance. Later, speaking on “Washington Journal” on public affairs TV channel C-Span, Ziyal said that Ankara wanted to work with the US to create a prosperous postwar Iraq. Speaking to reporters later, Turkey’s Ambassador to Washington Faruk Logoglu said that both sides had discussed a sum of $1 billion proposed for Turkey in the wake of the war, adding that some of those funds could be channeled into Turkish work on Iraqi reconstruction. /Aksam, http://www.c-span.org/
FINANCE MINISTER UNAKITAN BEGINS TOUR OF THREE GULF COUNTRIES
Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan yesterday began a tour of the Persian Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait and Dubai. Before leaving, Unakitan told reporters that the main goal of his visit was to promote Turkey’s privatization program and the companies included in it. /Hurriyet/
AKP DEPUTY CHAIRMAN MERCAN TO ATTEND MERRILL LYNCH MEETINGS TOUTING TURKEY’S INVESTMENT CLIMATE
Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chairman Murat Mercan is set today to begin a four-day tour of European financial capitals including London, Zurich, Amsterdam and Milan upon the invitation of investment bank Merrill Lynch. Representing Turkey at meetings with European investors, Mercan will tout Turkey as a stable, reliable country with a healthy investment climate. In related news, at the beginning of July, in order to promote Turkey’s export goods and to boost its market share, an economic delegation headed by State Minister Kursad Tuzmen is scheduled to pay a visit to Kazakhstan. During the visit, various avenues of cooperation will be explored, especially in the mining, telecommunications, food, tourism, banking and energy sectors. /Turkiye/
DENKTAS MEETS WITH US CYPRUS ENVOY WESTON
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas yesterday received US State Department Cyprus Envoy Thomas Weston. After a one-and-a-half-hour meeting, Denktas told journalists that he and Weston had exchanged views various issues concerning the island. /Turkiye/
LAGENDIJK: “THE EU HAS NO SET INTENTION TO EXCLUDE TURKEY FROM THE UNION”
Joost Lagendijk, co-chairman of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Commission, said yesterday that the European Union had no set intention to exclude Turkey from the Union. Speaking in Istanbul at the 50th meeting of the commission, Lagendijk characterized steps taken so far by Ankara for EU accession as positive but falling short of satisfactory. Also participating at the meeting, commenting on the role of the military in the country, EU Commission Representation in Turkey head Hansjoerg Kretschmer said that the Union fully supports Ankara’s EU reforms but that the military should play the same role in Turkey as in other democratic countries. /Cumhuriyet/
STATE WORKERS’ COLLECTIVE BARGAINING BEGINS
The collective bargaining process between the government and union Turk-Is on behalf of state workers began yesterday. Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin and a delegation from the union met for approximately one hour. However, the first round of negotiations proved fruitless since the government did not make a firm offer. /Cumhuriyet/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION