ERDOGAN DENIES CLAIMS OF CROSS-BORDER OPERATION
Denying claims that Turkey is conducting a cross-border operation into northern Iraq, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said that it would be out of the question for Turkey to show its hand publicly. Speaking on television, Erdogan added that that if a step towards a cross-border operation is foreseen, Turkey would speak with Iraq and also bring the matter to Parliament. He added that Turkey's official counterpart in Iraq is not the Kurdish leader, but Iraq's central government. /Turkiye/
GUL: "TURKEY'S FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM WILL CONTINUE"
Speaking to reporters at a reception celebrating Africa Day, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul denied foreign news agency reports that Turkey had initiated a cross-border operation into northern Iraq, but added that Turkey's fight against terrorism was continuing and that it would do anything necessary to root out terrorism. /Turkiye/
SEVEN FALLEN SOLDIERS LAID TO REST
Seven soldiers who were killed in Monday's terrorist attack in Tunceli were laid to rest in their hometowns yesterday. Crowds accompanied the funerals holding Turkish flags and chanting slogans condemning the terrorist PKK. The seven fallen were Eraslan Gungor (Amasya), Burhan Yalcin (Sirnak), Eyup Yabangulu (Kayseri), Mustafa Aslan (Balikesir), Emrah Kayadelen (Gaziantep), Ilhan Saglam (Erzurum), and Erdem Erkacti (Izmir). Military officials were also present at the ceremonies, and spoke with the families to ease their pain. Thousands cried for the soldiers yesterday across Turkey. /The New Anatolian/
CUBAN ENVIRONMENT AGENCY HEAD VISITS TURKEY
Gisela Alonso, the president of the Cuban Environment Agency, currently in Ankara to attend a symposium on environment held by the Chamber of Environment Engineers, yesterday met with Turkish Environment and Forest Minister Osman Pepe. Pepe and Alonso spoke about industrialization and environmental problems and also exchanged views on models for environmentally conscious development. /Aksam/
BELGIAN FM: "HALTING TURKEY'S EU TALKS WOULD BE COMPLETELY FOOLISH"
Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht said this week that stopping Turkey's European Union accession talks "would be completely foolish," reiterating that there were good reasons for his unequivocal support of Turkey's membership. Speaking with Turkish daily Today's Zaman in Gent, Belgium, De Gucht also voiced his belief that newly elected French President Nicholas Sarkozy, whose strong opposition to possible Turkish EU membership created an outcry both in Turkey and in pro-Turkey European circles, wouldn't stop or even ask for the suspension of Turkey's accession talks. Stressing that many reforms had been made in Turkey over the last five years due fundamentally to the EU membership drive, he said: "I am convinced that Turkey should have a chance to become a member of the EU. It is up to the Turkish people to demonstrate that they can become a member and I think they are in a position to do so. The last five years have seen a lot of good things in your country. I am personally convinced that these changes, to a very large extent, have been motivated by the prospect of EU membership. That is a very good thing." /Today's Zaman/
TURKEY, EU SIGN SCIENCE AND RESEARCH COOPERATION PACT
Turkey's Permanent Representative to the EU Volkan Bozkir and EU Commission's Director General for Research Jose Manuel Silva Rodriguez last week signed a landmark science and cooperation agreement for 2007-2013, stated the Foreign Ministry yesterday. It stated that the program, with a budget totaling _53.2 billion, aims to strengthen Europe's capacity in the field of science and research and lend Turkey a new dynamism in this field. Turkey's participation in the Program will reportedly boost the research and renewal capacity of the nation's industry and business sectors, and there will be cooperation between the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and EU institutions in such fields as transportation, energy, bio/nano-technology, water, etc. /Milliyet/
US DEPUTY COMMERCE SECRETARY VISITS TUZMEN
A delegation led by US Commerce Deputy Secretary David Sampson yesterday visited State Minister Kursad Tuzmen as well as Rifat Hisarciklioglu, head of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB). Speaking afterwards, Tuzmen said that Turkey hopes to boost its trade volume with the US and wants American firms to make more investments in Turkey. For his part, Samson emphasized the importance of professional chambers. /Milliyet/