EU'S REHN: "ONLY TURKEY CAN SET THE PACE OF ITS REFORMS"
Speaking at a conference in Istanbul entitled "Turkey and the EU: Together for a European Energy Policy," European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn yesterday said that only Turkey could set the pace of its reforms, adding, "This could be a fast samba or a slow waltz, but the orchestra and the music should never stop." He added that it's to Turkey's own benefit to be integrated into the European Union in its modernization process, which was started by Kemal Ataturk. Also condemning last month's terrorist attack in Ankara, Rehn said, "Rest assured, the EU is on your side in this struggle against terrorism." Rehn emphasized that Turkey, as a democratic country with a predominantly Muslim population, sets an unparalleled example and has made use of this to establish a dialogue between civilizations. Taking the floor at the same conference, Turkish Economy Minister and chief EU negotiator Ali Babacan stated that Ankara has to abide by the Copenhagen criteria, and added, "Beliefs that each country has its own special conditions, our democracy is unique, we have the rule of law but sometimes things outside this can be done, and the like, could unfortunately consign Turkey to be a third world country for decades. How democracy works in Turkey is being reported by the EU every year. Member countries are closely watching developments in Turkey, now we no longer have a (purely) domestic agenda. All important developments in Turkey make headlines in EU papers." /Milliyet/
CHP ASKS TO TOP COURT TO ANNUL CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PACKAGE
The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) yesterday applied to the Constitutional Court to annul Parliament's recent passage of a constitutional amendment package paving the way for popular election of the president. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) tried to amend the Constitution following their failure to elect their candidate Abdullah Gul as president in Parliament. After President Ahmet Necdet Sezer vetoed the reform package, Parliament passed it again. But the CHP, in its application to the court, argued that since first article of the package, which would shorten the tenure of Parliament from the current five years to four, was approved by 366 deputies, one less than the required two-thirds majority, the approval of the whole package should be annulled under Article 175 of the Constitution. President Sezer, who has no authority to re-veto the package, will either sign it into law or take it to a referendum. /Turkish Daily News/
BELGIUM'S LATERNE: "NO ONE CAN MAKE ME CALL IT A GENOCIDE"
Yves Leterne, who is expected to become Belgium's next prime minister after elections this weekend, this week said, "Nobody can make me call the incidents of 1915 `genocide' unless there's an international decision." Belgian daily De Morgen yesterday made his statement top news, claiming that it would cost him votes. Leterne said that as a politician, he wasn't interested in the genocide allegations and that the issue should be left to international courts. With this statement, Laterne also supported the stance of Ergun Top, a Turkish-origin candidate for Senate from his party. /Hurriyet/
CB FORECASTS FALLING INFLATION TO CONTINUE
In its report on price developments in May released yesterday, the Central Bank said inflation's downward trend continued last month, pushing the annual inflation rate down 1.5 points to come in at 9.23%. This fall was attributed to the delayed results of monetary tightening and a partial correction in food prices as well as the high base at the same time last year. The CB also said that a cut in value-added taxes (VAT) for some foodstuffs will help this downward trend continue in the coming months. /Aksam/