GOVT SENDS IRAQ MOTION TO PARLIAMENT
Following a nearly six-hour Cabinet meeting yesterday, the government sent a motion to Parliament seeking permission for a period of one year for a cross-border operation into northern Iraq. Speaking to reporters, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said that the motion only targeted the PKK terrorist group and aimed to eliminate the terrorist threat to Turkey's peace. The motion is expected to be debated in Parliament tomorrow. /Sabah/
SYRIAN PRESIDENT TO VISIT ANKARA TODAY
On an official visit to Ankara, Syria President Bashar al-Assad is set today to meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gul. Bilateral relations between Ankara and Damascus and regional developments are expected to top the discussions, along with recent tension between Israel and Syria. Assad will also meet with Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan. /Aksam/
IRAQI VP HASHIMI DUE IN ANKARA TODAY
Amid tension over recent deadly PKK attacks, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has dispatched his Vice President Tarik al-Hashimi to visit Turkey. Hashimi is expected to arrive in Ankara at midday today to discuss with Turkish officials the terrorist PKK issue and the government's motion on a possible cross-border operation. During his two-day stay, Hashimi will meet with President Abdullah Gul and Premier Recep Tayip Erdogan. /Cumhuriyet/
ERDOGAN TO VISIT BRITAIN NEXT WEEK
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to visit Britain next Monday. He will meet with his British counterpart Gordon Brown in London. Their talks reportedly will focus on Turkey's European Union membership negotiations and the fight against the terrorist PKK. /Turkish Daily News/
DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF SAYGUN: "FOR ANY CROSS-BORDER OP, WE WILL CONSIDER SEASONAL CONDITIONS"
The military's attitude towards a possible cross-border operation is clear, said Deputy Chief of General Staff Ergin Saygun yesterday. Speaking to journalists at Spain's national day reception in Ankara, Saygun said that in deciding on such an operation, generals would take into consideration the seasonal conditions. /Aksam/
WHITE HOUSE REITERATES OPPOSITION TO HOUSE VOTE ON ARMENIAN RESOLUTION
The Bush administration yesterday reiterated its opposition to bringing to the House floor an Armenian resolution which was passed last week by the US House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee. "There should be no question of the president's views on this issue and the damage that this resolution can do to our US foreign policy interests," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto. "We would strongly encourage the speaker not to bring this to a vote, and should it come to a vote, we will strongly encourage members not to support it. This is not the best way to deal with this issue." /Türkiye/
PATRIARCH MUTAFIAN: "THE ARMENIAN RESOLUTION IS A TOOL FOR POLITICAL FODDER IN THE US"
Mesrob Mutafian, patriarch of Turkish Armenians, yesterday said the Turkish-Armenian community opposes the resolution regarding the incidents of 1915 which was passed last week by a key US House of Representatives committee. He added that the resolution is a tool for domestic political fodder in the US. /The New Anatolian/
IZMIR HOSTS SYMPOSIUM IN BID TO HOST EXPO 2015
Some 65 delegates from the Bureau of International Exhibitions (BIE) have arrived in Izmir to participate in the "Expo 2015 Izmir: First International Health for All Symposium" that started yesterday in the candidate city. Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan, accompanied by six Cabinet ministers, welcomed the delegates in Cesme. Addressing the gathering, Erdogan said that Izmir is Turkey's third-largest city and the country's gateway to the world. Following the two-day symposium, the guests will proceed to Istanbul and be received by President Abdullah Gul. At the BIE's meeting in Paris next March, the delegates will reach a final decision on whether Milan or Izmir is awarded the honor of hosting Expo 2015. /Star/