GUL VISITS PARIS TO PUSH EXPO 2015 BID
President Abdullah Gul yesterday went to France to show his support for Turkey's candidacy to host Expo 2015. Gul will attend a meeting today where Izmir and Milan, the two cities vying to host the gathering, will make presentations. Some see the right to host Expo 2015 as more important than the World Cup or even the Olympics. /Turkiye/
BABACAN BRIEFS AKP DEPUTIES ON POSSIBLE CROSS-BORDER OP
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan over the weekend briefed ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies about a possible cross-border operation into northern Iraq. Stating that the northern Iraqi administration has been persuaded to take Turkey's side in the fight against terrorism, Babacan said, "They will take joint action with Turkey." At the AKP's party retreat in Kizilcahamam, Ankara, deputies asked Babacan whether the authorization for a cross-border operation would be used and when this would happen. Babacan stressed that intelligence-sharing with the US was going well. Stating that they are working in coordination with security forces on the timing of the operation, Babacan added that speaking now about its timing and scope would be premature. /Cumhuriyet/
BABACAN TO VISIT GREECE NEXT WEEK
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan is set to pay an official visit to Athens next week at the invitation of his Greek counterpart Dora Bakoyannis, the Foreign Ministry announced yesterday. "During the visit, the two foreign ministers will review Turkish-Greek relations. They will also exchange views on EU matters, including Turkey's accession process," the statement added. /Turkish Daily News/
CHARLES AND CAMILLA IN TURKEY THIS WEEK
Prince of Wales Charles and his wife Camilla, duchess of Cornwall, yesterday arrived in Ankara. The couple is set to proceed to Konya and visit the Mevlana Rumi Museum. They will also visit the Mevlana Rumi Cultural Center, where they will see a display of whirling dervishes. Charles is expected to deliver a speech at the center. He will also go to the prehistoric settlement of Catalhoyuk and view excavations headed by British archeologist Ian Hodder. Then he will proceed to Ephesus to visit the legendary House of the Virgin Mary. Charles will also visit Istanbul. /Sabah/
LAGENDIJK: "THE EU WON'T CONDEMN A CROSS-BORDER OPERATION IF ITS GOALS ARE WELL DEFINED"
Speaking to Turkey's Kanal 7 television yesterday, Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission Co-Chair Joost Lagendijk said that EU will not condemn a cross-border operation into northern Iraq if its goals are well defined. Lagendijk also said that there has been a drastic change in the European attitude towards terrorism since 9/11 and the Madrid and London bombings. "Even ordinary people have come to understand that terrorism constitutes a threat to everyone," he said. Touching on the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), he said he could not understand the wave of terrorist attacks in the wake of a host of reforms and the DPT winning seats in Parliament. /Star/