UKRAINIAN PM TO VISIT TURKEY
Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych is due to arrive in Ankara tomorrow to pay an official visit upon the invitation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During his stay in Turkey, Yanukovych is expected to meet separately with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. /Cumhuriyet/
ARINC HEADS TO SUDAN
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc started an official visit to Sudan yesterday at the invitation of his Sudanese counterpart, Ahmed Ibrahim al-Tahir. Speaking to reporters before his departure, Arinc said that it was the first official visit to Sudan by a Turkish Parliament speaker. /Turkish Daily News/
GUL, BUYUKANIT TO PAY SEPARATE VISITS TO US
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit are expected to visit the US separately next month. During their visits, Gul and Buyukanit will discuss issues such as developments in the Mideast, Iraq, terrorism, and the Cyprus issue with US officials. Gul is expected to tell Washington that Ankara expects concrete steps from the US against the terrorist PKK. /Turkiye/
SENER: "THE AKP WILL SUBMIT A MOTION TO DISCUSS DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ"
State Minister Abdullatif Sener said yesterday that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group administration will submit a motion to hold a debate about developments in Iraq. Speaking after Monday's Cabinet meeting, Sener said: "Important developments have recently been occurring in Iraq, and all those are of interest to Turkey." He also said that Turkey has been taking those developments seriously from the very beginning. Sener said the assessments of Deniz Baykal, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), concerning sending Turkish troops to Iraq and recent developments in the country were of importance for the government, adding that the government had always welcomed dialogue with the opposition parties. /Sabah/
IN GERMANY, CICEK DECRIES THE USE OF TERRORISM AS "POLITICAL FODDER"
Speaking at an unofficial meeting of justice and interior ministers of European Union member states in Germany yesterday, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that terrorism was still being used as a "political fodder" in some countries, adding that there was no fast-operating mechanism to counter terrorism. Stressing that terrorism was being used as a tool by some countries to get leverage with other countries or fulfill their own agendas, Cicek stated that Ankara could see this from developments in its region. "There is no sufficient cooperation in taking concrete steps on the issue," added Cicek. /The New Anatolian-Turkiye/
PANEL ON KIRKUK HELD IN ANKARA
The Kirkuk 2007 Panel, organized by the Global Strategy Institute in Ankara, yesterday discussed the future of Iraq. Iraqi Sunni, Shiite, Turkmen and Assyrian groups attended the meeting. An advisor to Iraq's Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi said: "The future of Kirkuk lies in national reconciliation." Hamit Al Mutlak, deputy chair of the Iraqi Dialogue Front, said that Kirkuk was an Iraqi city which belongs to all Iraqis. /Star/
BARROSO, PRODI EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR TURKEY'S EU BID
European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso yesterday met with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. Speaking at a press conference afterwards, both Prodi and Barroso expressed support for Turkey's European Union membership bid. Barroso stressed that the talks would continue with Ankara, but the process would be long and complicated. Prodi echoed Barroso's remarks. /Aksam/
TRNC'S TALAT: "OUR STRUGGLE IS LIKE WALKING DOWN A ROAD LITTERED WITH MINES"
Speaking at a ceremony commemorating Fazil Kucuk, a leader of the Turkish Cypriots' struggle for freedom, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat said that his countrymen remember Kucuk with aspiration and longing. Saying that the Turkish Cypriots' struggle today is like walking down a road littered with mines, he added that they are being faced with a new structure and new conditions on the Cyprus issue. /Turkiye/
BRITISH LAWMAKERS HOLD TALKS IN TURKEY
Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee head Mehmet Dulger yesterday met with a delegation from the British House of Common's Foreign Affairs Committee. MP and committee member Fabian Hamilton asked Dulger to withdraw one battalion from Cyprus as a gesture, and Dulger responded by saying: "We already made a gesture by accepting the Annan plan in the (2004) referendum, but on the contrary the EU has rewarded the Greek Cypriots by accepting their membership," The delegation also said that Turkey should accept the Greek Cypriot government and open its ports to them. Dulger said that this issue can be discussed, but everyone knows that the Greek Cypriots don't want to find a solution. /Hurriyet/