ERDOGAN: "THE NATION WILL HAVE THE FINAL WORD"
As early elections are set for July 22, our nation is entering a critical period, and it is the Turkish people who will have the final word, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. At his Justice and Development Party's (AKP) parliamentary group meeting, Erdogan criticized the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) for blocking the recent aborted presidential election. In so doing, the CHP and the other political parties in Parliament failed the test of democracy, he charged. /Turkiye/
GUL MEETS WITH IRAQI TURKMEN FRONT LEADER
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday met with Iraqi Turkmen Front leader Sadettin Ergec. During their talks, recent developments in Iraq and the Kirkuk issue, in particular the referendum set for the end of this year to determine the city's status, were taken up. Pointing to rising violence in the country, Gul urged the Iraqi administration to do its best to stop the clashes, adding that Turkey was ready to help the country establish peace and stability. Responding to recent reports that the Iraqi administration has postponed the Kirkuk referendum to next year, Gul said that there were no concrete developments on the matter. /Turkiye/
CHP, DSP TO MAKE FINAL DECISION ON ELECTION ALLIANCE
Two weeks of talks between the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Democratic Left Party (DSP) came to an end yesterday. Following a nighttime phone conversation between CHP leader Deniz Baykal and the DSP's Zeki Sezer, top DSP officials will discuss the issue today one last time and if a merger or other alliance is in the offing, the two leaders are expected to publicly announce how they will cooperate in July's general elections. /Milliyet/
POLITICAL PARTIES WOO POPULAR FIGURES TO BE CANDIDATES
As July's general elections get closer, virtually all political parties are on the hunt for fresh popular faces to field on election day. Among the figures being wooed are former ambassadors, military officers, businessmen, football players, and even wrestlers. In addition, certain political parties are also asking well-known figures from minority groups to run under their banner. /Turkish Daily News/
SAMSUN BRACES FOR REPUBLICAN RALLY ON SUNDAY
The Black Sea city of Samsun is bracing to be the site of yet another republican rally this Sunday. Following massive demonstrations organized by non-governmental groups in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and other cities, Samsun will host the final rally against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the runup to the early elections in July. The demonstration will be held one day after the anniversary of the 1919 arrival of Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in the city, a visit which began the Turkish War of Independence. /Cumhuriyet/
BAHCELI: "MY PARTY WILL FACE THE AKP ALONE"
Even as other parties seek alliances ahead of the July elections, Nationalist Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said yesterday that his party would enter elections alone and single-handedly "settle accounts" with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). In a written statement, Bahceli said that his party had closed its deputy candidacy application period this week and that general elections would be a "poll of destiny" for Turkey. /Sabah, Hurriyet/
TUZMEN: "OUR TARGET IS $15 BLN IN TRADE WITH AFRICA"
State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said yesterday that Turkey hopes to reach and even exceed $15 billion in trade with African countries in the years to come. Meeting with officials and businessmen from 20 African countries, visting Istanbul to attend a meeting of the Turkish-African Foreign Trade Bridge organized by the Turkish Businessmen's and Industrialists' Confederation (TUSKON), Tuzmen said that the synergy created by this meeting would help to boost trade. He added that they wanted to create a climate in which both sides can grow together and that the richer Africa gets, Turkey will grown more prosperous too. /Aksam/
US WARNS SARKOZY TO TREAT TURKEY WITHOUT PREJUDICE
The US yesterday issued a warning to new French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is well known for his anti-Turkish and anti-immigrant stances. US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte called on Sarkozy to treat the issue of Turkey free of prejudice. Speaking to the French-American Foundation, Negroponte said that the United States has supported Turkey's European Union membership and that this support would continue. He added that the US hoped that in the weeks and months ahead, the French government would keep an open mind on this subject and be ready to discuss this issue with the US and others concerned. France should consider the possible consequences for both Turkey and the region if the door were closed completely to Turkish membership in the EU, he added. /Aksam/
RATO: "TURKEY IS A DYNAMIC, RISING MARKET"
International Monetary Fund head Rodrigo de Rato said yesterday that Turkey was one of the world's four dynamic rising markets, adding that in recognition of its increasingly important role in the global economy, the IMF's Monetary and Finance Committee had decided to give Turkey a higher quota and say in the group. Rato said that they had reached a consensus concerning raising the quota for four dynamic rising markets -- China, Mexico, South Korea and Turkey -- and were working on new quota formulas for future use. Rato added that there was a consensus among the IMF members that the new quota will be simple and transparent. /Star/
GREENPEACE TO UNVEIL "NOAH'S ARK" REPLICA TO HIGHLIGHT THREAT OF GLOBAL WARMING
The threat of climate change faced by the planet is the greatest danger to the world since the legendary biblical flood, said an environmental activist in Istanbul yesterday. Greenpeace energy campaigner Andree Boehling told reporters that a symbolic Noah's Ark the group is building on Mt. Ararat (Agri) in eastern Turkey was meant to call attention to the threat of global warming. A Greenpeace declaration on renewable energy will be released on May 31 at the grand opening for the ship, which is being built by a group of volunteer Turkish, German and Australian carpenters. /Hurriyet/