GOVT, MILITARY LEADERS TO HOLD IRAQ SUMMIT TODAY
A summit on Iraq is set to be held today at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul are expected to discuss the question of Turkey contributing soldiers to an Iraq stabilization force. During the summit, Ozkok and Erdogan will reportedly brief the group on the possible risks Turkish soldiers might face in Iraq. Erdogan is expected to say that deciding against deployment would be inappropriate. Gul is expected to brief the gathering on his visit to Washington last month and his discussions with the Bush administration on Turkey’s possible role. /All papers/
GUL: “WE AWAIT A US RESPONSE TO OUR QUESTIONS ON SENDING SOLDIERS TO IRAQ”
Turkey is waiting for a response from the United States on a number of issues it has raised on its possible contributions to an Iraq stabilization force, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday. Among these issues, explained Gul, were where Turkish forces would be deployed and under whose command they would serve. Asked what he expected from a government/ military summit on the issue today, Gul declined to comment, saying that doing so would be premature as the Cabinet was also due to discuss the matter. /Aksam/
BABACAN: “OUR FOCUS SHOULD BE ON THE ECONOMIC LONG TERM”
Turkey has seen a number of positive economic developments of late, but much remains to be done, State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan said yesterday. “From now on we should focus our policies on the long term, not the short,” Babacan told a conference chaired by Turkish Bankers’ Association (TBB) head Ersin Ozince. “We’re thinking of what kind of a country we want for our children.” Speaking after the gathering, Babacan said that the participants had told him their concerns about various banking sector issues. “We discussed economic problems and the fifth review of the nation’s International Monetary Fund-supported economic program,” he added. /Milliyet/
KAPUSUZ: “A DECISION ON SENDING TROOPS TO IRAQ IS A VERY DELICATE MATTER”
Speaking to reporters in Parliament, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Parliamentary Group deputy head Salih Kapusuz said that Ankara’s decision on whether or not to send troops to Iraq was very important for Turkey’s unity, security and even its development. Stressing that the government was continuing its contacts with all relevant groups, political leaders, and neighboring countries, Kapusuz said, “This is a very delicate matter. We’ll make our decision after looking at all the factors.” /Turkiye/
CHP’S KOC: “WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE IN IRAQ, AND WE SHOULDN’T RISK OUR SOLDIERS’ LIVES TO PUT IT OUT”
A leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) yesterday underlined that CHP deputies would likely oppose any measure authorizing Turkish troop deployment in Iraq. After filing a petition at the Constitutional Court requesting annulment of the recent additional vehicle tax, CHP Parliamentary Group deputy head Haluk Koc took exception with recent remarks by Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, the deputy chief of General Staff, who told journalists over the weekend, “Turkey cannot remain indifferent to a fire raging next door to us.” If there is a fire burning in neighboring Iraq, said Koc, then it’s the responsibility of those who started this blaze to put it out. “This isn’t Turkey’s problem,” he argued. “We cannot sacrifice even a single soldier in the desert.” /Turkiye/
YTP LEADER CEM URGES LEFTIST SOLIDARITY IN UPCOMING LOCAL ELECTIONS
New Turkey Party (YTP) leader Ismail Cem yesterday called on Turkey’s main left-wing parties to join forces for a better chance of success during local elections slated for next year. In a letter to the leaders of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the Social Democratic People’s Party (SHP) and the Democratic Left Party (DSP), Cem proposed that just one leftist democratic candidate enter the race in each election region, while other leftist parties would support this contender. “Local elections represent a tremendous opportunity for us to save Turkey from our current incompetent, inexperienced rule, so let’s join forces to end their monopoly on power,” urged Cem. However, citing the YTP’s role during last fall’s election in splitting his then senior coalition party, DSP leader and former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday signaled a rejection of Cem’s call for unity. Former Foreign Minister Cem is an ex-DSP member, once speculated to be the aging Ecevit’s successor. /Cumhuriyet/