TURKEY MARKS NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND CHILDREN'S DAY
Turkey celebrated yesterday the April 23 National Sovereignty and Children's Day. State officials headed by Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc visited Anitkabir, the Mausoleum of Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister Abdullatif Sener, some ministers, deputy parliament speakers, and deputies were among the delegation that visited Anitkabir. Arinc laid a wreath on the Mausoleum, and the delegation observed a minute of silence. Later, Arinc signed the mausoleum's ceremonial guest book. Education Minister Huseyin Celik and some teachers and students also visited Ataturk's mausoleum. Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar attended the ceremony to inaugurate the National Anthem Monument in Parliament along with ministers, opposition party members and deputies. Following the ceremony, which was held at the first Parliament building in Ankara's Ulus district, the parliament speaker accepted the congratulatory messages in Parliament. The Parliament convened at a special session on the occasion of the 87th anniversary of its establishment and April 23rd National Sovereignty and Children's Day. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, force commanders, head of constitutional court and top judges as well as the diplomatic corps were all present at the special session which was chaired by Arinc. The parliament speaker stated that the Parliament, which was opened with great enthusiasm and hopes on April 23, 1920, has been experiencing the same enthusiasm for 87 years. Speaking at the special session Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "What we expect from children is to be committed to the target set by Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to go beyond the level of contemporary civilizations, protect the fundamental principles of the Republic, and believe in Turkey's bright future." The special session ended after the speeches of main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) leader Erkan Mumcu, True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar and People's Ascent Party (HYP) leader Yasar Nuri Ozturk. National Sovereignty and Children's Day was celebrated across the country, in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and at the Turkish embassies around the world. /All papers/
TURKEY AWAITS ANNOUNCEMENT OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday completed his series of tours in the process of nominating a candidate for presidency by meeting with Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc. Arinc also met with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on Friday. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group is expected to convene today and tomorrow. Erdogan, reportedly will announce the decision on the matter tomorrow, during the AKP group meeting in Parliament, or later in the day. The application for presidential candidacy will end midnight April 25. The election rounds would start either on April 26 or May 3. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will leave his office on May 16. /Milliyet/
IRAN, EU TO MEET IN ANKARA TOMORROW
Iran's National Security Council Secretary General and nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and European Union's Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana will meet tomorrow in Ankara to discuss whether the talks for Iran's nuclear program can resume. During Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki's visit to Ankara last week, he signaled that his country was ready to resume the talks with the UN Security Council's five permanent members and Germany. Reportedly, following Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's initiatives, Solana and Larijani decided to meet in Ankara tomorrow to discuss the issue. Through the two resolutions on December 2006 and March 2007, the UN Security Council decided to impose sanctions on Iran. /Turkiye/
'STOP ARMENIANS LIES' RALLY HELD IN NEW YORK
Over the weekend New York's famous Time Square became a platform for both Turks and Armenians, of course at different times, to express them over the "genocide" issue. On Saturday, the Turkish American Associations Federation (TAAF) organized the third annual "Stop Armenian Lies!" demonstration. As April 24th, the Memorial Day for the 1915 events for Armenians approaches many Turks feel very uncomfortable with the fact that there is still a resolution pending in the US House of Representatives to accept those events as genocide. On Sunday, it was the Armenians who gathered in Times Square to remember their lost ones with the hope that this year the genocide resolution could pass. In related news, Ankara expected support for its call to establish 'a joint history commission' from US President George W. Bush, who will release a message today to mark the Armenian's Memorial Day. Furthermore, Turkey's Embassy in Washington put full-page adverts in the US' leading dailies expressing Turkish view on the issue and calling on Armenians to face with their history by examining archives together with Turkish historians. /Turkish Daily News-Milliyet/