SEZER SET TO MEET WITH PEARSON, REPORTEDLY PLANS TO CONVEY IMPORTANT MESSAGES TO BUSH
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is reportedly set today to indirectly convey important messages to his US counterpart George W. Bush concerning the July 4-6 detention of Turkish soldiers by US forces in Sulaimaniyah and the incident’s impact on bilateral relations. During his meeting today with US Ambassador to Ankara Robert Pearson at the Cankaya Presidential Palace, Sezer is expected to tell Pearson that the detentions were unacceptable to Ankara and furthermore urge the Bush administration to act in act in line with the requirements of the two nations’ strategic partnership. Sezer will also request that Washington punish those responsible for the incident as soon as possible. Sezer is also reportedly planning to hold a meeting with Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul in order to discuss the future of Turkish-US relations prior to the month-end National Security Council (NSC) meeting. /Cumhuriyet/
JOINT INQUIRY ON SULAIMANIYAH INCIDENT MEETS FOR THIRD TIME, HEARS EVIDENCE FROM BOTH SIDES
A Turkish-US joint inquiry set up to investigate the Sulaimaniyah incident held its third meeting over the weekend in Ankara. Lt. Gen. John Sylvester, chief of staff of US forces in Europe and head of the American contingent, briefed the participants on the results of his investigative trip to northern Iraq concerning the incident. Sources stated that the Turkish officials also presented extensive evidence to refute US claims that Turkish soldiers were involved in a plot to assassinate the interim governor of Kirkuk. The inquiry is expected to continue its work today. /Cumhuriyet/
ERDOGAN: “THIS GOVERNMENT’S PRIORITY IS TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP BID”
Speaking at a regional meeting of the Justice and Development Party yesterday in the Mediterranean port city of Mersin, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the government’s priority was the nation’s European Union membership bid. Also touching on the economy, Erdogan said that Turkey’s recent economic indicators had been very positive and predicted that this situation would continue. “One of the state’s missions is to increase investment and encourage our businessmen so as to boost domestic production,” said the premier. “We have made it easier for our businessmen to set up new firms.” /Aksam/
GUL: “WE WILL SEND THE SEVENTH EU HARMONIZATION PACKAGE TO PARLIAMENT THIS WEEK”
Speaking at a Saturday regional meeting of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that the government would send the seventh European Union harmonization package to Parliament this week. Gul further pledged that the AKP was doing its best to assure Turkey’s entrance into the EU, adding that the Turkish nation deserved this membership. “We’ve vowed to our nation to ensure freedom and human rights in Turkey, so we will send the seventh package to Parliament this week,” said Gul. “The AKP came to power in the midst of an atmosphere of chaos and crisis, but it was embraced by the whole nation during last fall’s elections. Our party has dealt with the economic crisis in just eight months. With the revival of the economy, the business sector has begun to produce again.” /Turkish Daily News/
PAPANDREOU, CEM TO TEACH COURSE ON TURKISH-GREEK RELATIONS IN ISTANBUL
Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou yesterday arrived in Istanbul to attend the opening ceremony of Bilgi University’s summer school studies on Turkish-Greek relations. Papandreou is set to jointly teach a course on Turkish-Greek relations alongside New Turkey Party (YTP) head Ismail Cem, who while foreign minister under the 1999-2002 coalition government helped forge an historic rapprochement with Athens. Stressing that Turkey and Greece should improve their cooperation in all areas, Papandreou stated that he was very happy to participate into such a useful activity with his close friend Cem, as he believed it would greatly benefit Turkey’s young people. The Greek foreign minister is also expected today to meet with his current Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. /Hurriyet/
BABACAN MEETS WITH IMF TURKEY DESK CHIEF MOGHADAM TO DISCUSS RECENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS
State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan yesterday met with International Monetary Fund Turkey Desk Chief Riza Moghadam to discuss recent economic developments. Moghadam is in Turkey for the fifth review of its IMF-supported economic program. During their talks, Babacan assured Moghadam that the government would complete its structural reforms as soon as possible. Moghadam also briefed Babacan on his meetings with officials from the State Planning Organization (DPT) and the Central Bank. Also present at the meeting was Treasury Undersecretary Ibrahim Canakci. /Miliyet/
UNAKITAN: “AMERICAN INVESTORS ARE WAITING FOR TURKEY’S INTEREST RATES TO FALL”
Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan yesterday returned to Turkey from the United States, where he had attended several meetings. Speaking to reporters, Unakitan said that US investors were waiting for Turkey’s interest rates to fall before putting their money here. “When our interest rates go down, we’ll see a flood of investors at our doors,” he said. The finance minister also said that the government would make further adjustments to certain taxes in the interest of a sounder financial sector. In related news, Industry and Trade Minister Ali Coskun returned this weekend from Rome where he had attended a conference. Speaking to reporters, Coskun said that he had briefed the participants on measures to boost Turkey’s competitiveness. /Turkiye/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION