BAHCELI REELECTED TO MHP HELM
Devlet Bahceli yesterday was overwhelmingly reelected leader of the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) at the party’s national congress in Ankara. Bahceli won 688 votes, while all his competitors combined received fewer than 450. Speaking to the congress, Bahceli charged that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government was using Turkey’s European Union membership bid to advance its own political ends. A former government coalition partner, the MHP has held no seats in Parliament since last fall’s elections. /Milliyet/
BARZANI ASKS ARAB LEAGUE HEAD TO OPPOSE TURKISH TROOPS IN IRAQ
After meeting yesterday in Cairo with Arab League head Amr Musa, Massoud Barzani, leader of the Iraqi Kurdish Democratic Party (IKDP) and member of Iraq’s Governing Council, urged that the league join him in opposing Turkish troop deployment in Iraq. “We are against troop deployment by Turkey or other countries in the region,” said Barzani. “We want support from the Arab League.” Responding to Barzani’s request, Musa said the league would support “any stance of the Governing Council on troop deployment from Turkey or any other country in the region.” Though Barzani and other individual Kurdish members of the council have publicly opposed troop deployment, the council itself has yet to release any official statement on the issue. /Star/
ANKARA CELEBRATES 80TH ANNIVERSARY AS TURKEY’S CAPITAL
On Oct. 13, 1923, the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) issued a unanimous declaration making Ankara Turkey’s capital, and today the city is set to celebrate its 80th anniversary with a host of activities. State museums will be open to the public free of charge. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is also scheduled this afternoon to receive a delegation headed by Ankara Provincial Governor Yahya Gur to mark the occasion. /Sabah/
INDEPENDENT DEPUTY JOINS AKP
Cemal Kaya, an independent deputy from the eastern province of Agrı, joined the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) yesterday after its first regular congress. Kaya’s action boosts the AKP’s majority in Parliament to 368, one vote more than the 367 needed to pass constitutional amendments without opposition help. /Hurriyet/
FISCHER: “THE EU SHOULD ADMIT TURKEY AFTER IT FULFILLS THE COPENHAGEN CRITERIA”
Turkey joining the ranks of the European Union is a must for the EU’s future, said German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer yesterday. “Turkey is a part of Europe and when it fulfills the Copenhagen criteria, it should join the Union,” said Fischer. “It’s an obligation for the Union to take in Turkey, and those who shrink from this will pay the price later.” He added that the failure of Ankara’s bid would hurt the EU more than it would Turkey. “Those who oppose Turkey’s EU bid should ask themselves what the EU stands to lose,” he warned. “We will do our best to bring around those who are opposed.” /Aksam/
IMF GIVES HIGH MARKS TO ANKARA’S WAR AGAINST INFLATION
A new International Monetary Fund report gives high marks to Ankara’s victories in the war against inflation, ranking its success since 2000 as number six worldwide. Turkey’s cumulative inflation over the period was 44.8%, though this year’s annual rate is expected to be just over half of that. In 1990-99, Turkey’s anti-inflationary policies were ranked number 30. /Cumhuriyet/
ISTANBUL TO HOST PROCESSING ZONES ASSOCIATION MEETING
The world Economic Processing Zones Association (WEPZA) is set to hold its 25th anniversary conference in Istanbul on Oct. 19-21. At the meeting, the role of processing zones in the enhancement of trade capacity will be taken up. /Turkiye/