ERDOGAN TO BEGIN CENTRAL ASIAN TOUR
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set today to begin a four-day tour of Central Asian countries beginning with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In Kyrgyzstan, Erdogan is scheduled to meet with his Kyrgyz counterpart Nokolai Tanayev and other officials. After completing his contacts in this country, the premier will proceed to Tajikistan. There he will meet with Prime Minister Akil Akilov and is set to sign an agreement for the establishment of a Turkish-Tajik business council. Erdogan is scheduled to return to Ankara on Friday. /Turkiye/
CICEK: “TURKEY IS READY ON IRAQ; NOW WE’LL WAIT FOR DEVELOPMENTS”
The Cabinet convened yesterday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Following the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, government spokesman and Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told reporters that Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul had briefed his fellow ministers on discussions about the Iraq issue during last week’s meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Malaysia. Stressing that Turkey had already completed all its preparations for humanitarian aid and possible troop deployment in Iraq, Cicek said, “Turkey has already taken all the necessary steps. Now we’ll wait for conditions outside of Turkey to be settled, and then act in line with those developments.” /Turkiye/
AKSU TRAVELS TO CHINA
Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu yesterday flew to the People’s Republic of China to pay an official visit at the invitation of Chinese Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang. As part of an agreement between the two countries on cooperation in the fight against organized crime, Aksu is expected to hold a series of meetings on the topic with Chinese officials. /Turkiye/
BAYKAL CRITICIZES AKP’S IRAQ POLICY
Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday criticized the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government’s policy on Iraq, charging that its greenlight to send troops there had made it unpopular across the border. Baykal added that Washington had begun to hesitate on the deployment. “The US has failed to persuade Iraq’s Governing Council on our troop deployment,” he stated. /Milliyet/
VERHEUGEN: “TURKEY’S PROGRESS REPORT WILL BE A POSITIVE ONE”
Guenter Verheugen, the European Union commissioner for enlargement, yesterday called Turkey the only democratic and secular country capable of heading off possible future conflicts between the Christian and Muslim worlds, adding that everyone should recognize this. Speaking after his meeting with Economic Development Association (IKV) head Davut Okutcu, Verheugen said that the EU’s progress report on Turkey slated for release on Nov. 5 would be a positive one. He also praised the government’s determination on the nation’s EU bid. “The EU will be stronger with Turkey in its ranks,” Verheugen added. /Aksam/
US JOINT CHIEF MYERS: “TALKS WITH TURKEY ON TROOP DEPLOYMENT ARE STILL CONTINUING”
Speaking at a conference on terrorism yesterday, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers said that negotiations with Turkey and other countries on sending troops to Iraq were still continuing and would take more time. “Everyone knows that we’re discussing the issue with the Turkish, Pakistani, South Korean, and Japanese governments,” he said, adding that the final decision on the issue would be political. He further stated that the recently passed UN resolution on Iraq had paved the way for several countries to send troops to Iraq. In related news, State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said yesterday that US Ambassador to Ankara Eric Edelman had recently met with a Foreign Ministry official to discuss the issue and that such talks were ongoing. "We continue to believe that Turkey has an important role to play in contributing to stability in Iraq," Ereli added. / Cumhuriyet/
WESTON: “THE UN’S CYPRUS PLAN IS STILL ON THE TABLE”
US Special Coordinator for Cyprus Tom Weston yesterday arrived in Ankara to discuss the Cyprus issue with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal. Speaking afterwards, Weston said that the UN’s Cyprus plan was still on the table. He stated that he expected Turkey to contribute to a resolution on the island. Also touching on presidential elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) set for December, Weston said that the polls should be fair and free. “Weston wants Ankara to focus on a solution after the election and to put more pressure on the TRNC,” Reuters quoted a senior Turkish official as saying. /Cumhuriyet/
ANKARA REPORTEDLY IN NO HURRY TO USE $8.5 BILLION US LOAN
Turkey is in no hurry to make use of the funds released so far to it under an $8.5 billion US loan, government sources said yesterday. In particular, the sources said, it wants to first see the US take concrete steps against the terrorist group PKK/KADEK in northern Iraq, something it has repeatedly pressed for. The sources added that Ankara was waiting to see other countries’ stances on Iraq before proceeding any further. /Sabah/
WEPZA HEAD: “INVEST IN TURKISH FREE TRADE ZONES”
Speaking yesterday in Istanbul at a conference on free trade zones, World Economic Processing Zones Association (WEPZA) Director Robert Haywood recommended that international investors invest in Turkey’s free trade zones. Saying that this counsel was a break with his advice from years past, Haywood added, “We’ve seen important progress in Turkey. I recommend investment in its free trade zones.” /Hurriyet/
BABACAN: “TURKEY IS SET TO RECEIVE SIGNIFICANT FUNDS FROM THE EU”
State Minister Ali Babacan, who is currently in Rome for a meeting on European Union policy adjustment, yesterday emphasized that significant funds were due to countries which are candidates for EU membership, Turkey included. “Turkey will receive a significant flow of resources from the EU in the coming period,” he said. Babacan and European Commission Turkey Representative Hansjoerg Kretschmer are set to hold a joint press conference on Thursday concerning this EU accession aid. /Hurriyet/