PARLIAMENT DEBATES 2008 BUDGET
Parliamentary debate on the 2008 budget bill began yesterday with an introduction by Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan. In a speech on behalf of the government, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused opposition party members of falsely painting a bleak picture of the country's economy. He said that Turkey had satisfied the European Union's Maastricht economic criteria and that the country's sound performance in this area would continue. "This is called stability and financial discipline," he said. "What we urgently need is democratic stability. If this can be ensured, our economy will be more powerful. We are aware of this, and we continue to move forward with determination and courage. We believe this is the road that will take our country to a brighter future." For their part, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal and opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli both took the floor to criticize government economic policy. /All papers/
PM ERDOGAN SPEAKS WITH ASSAD AND HARIRI ABOUT LEBANESE CRISIS
Syrian President Bashar Assad yesterday telephoned Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to seek his help in solving the presidential crisis in Lebanon, to prevent it from becoming an international crisis. Afterwards, Erdogan telephoned Saad Hariri, the leader of the anti-Syrian opposition in Lebanon. During both conversations, discussions centered on ways to overcome problems in Lebanon's presidential elections, which carry the risk of damaging the country's political stability. /Hurriyet/
CHIEF OF STAFF BUYUKANIT: "WE WILL DO WHAT WE ARE AUTHORIZED TO DO"
Speaking to reporters at the Albanian national day reception, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit yesterday said that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) was authorized to launch a cross-border operation. Saying that TSK will do what it is authorized to do, Buyukanit added that Turkey's pain over the grievous loss of soldiers will strengthen its determination to fight terrorism. /Milliyet/
TURKISH, GREECE FMS ANNOUNCE EXPANDED MILITARY COOPERATION
During his official visit to Greece, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens. After meeting with Babacan, Bakoyannis told reporters that a new day had dawned with Turkey's EU bid. "In this new era, not only are bilateral relations between our two countries developing, but also regional stability," she said. Babacan said that Turkey is very pleased with Athens' support for Turkey's EU bid. "The Cyprus issue should be solved under United Nations auspices," he added. The two leaders also announced that Ankara and Athens have agreed to expand military cooperation as a part of new confidence-building measures, including the establishment of a joint military unit for NATO missions for the first time in their history. /Turkiye-Milliyet/
INTERPARLIAMENTARY EUROPEAN ASSEMBLY PASSES NEW ANTI-PKK MEASURES
Turkey's fight against terrorism deserves our support, Robert Walter, chairman of the Interparliamentary European Security and Defense Assembly, told the group yesterday. Also speaking to the meeting in Paris, Iraqi Ambassador to Paris Mouwafak Aboud said that the Baghdad administration will support Turkey's efforts. "All the PKK offices in Iraq have been closed," he added. Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul told the group that some 70 percent of PKK terrorists take shelter in camps in northern Iraq. "The Turkish Armed Forces have a clear goal for launching a cross-border operation, namely to end the terrorist presence in northern Iraq," he said. Afterwards, the group passed a resolution under which European Union countries will take measures to block the terrorist PKK from seeking new recruits and financial support. In related news, after visiting Diyarbakir in Turkey's southeast, German ambassador to Ankara Eckard Cuntz said that Germany has no more patience left for PKK terrorism. "The public in the southeast is focused on economic development, the PKK will no longer find support from them," he added. /Turkiye/
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR END TO EMBARGO ON TURKISH CYPRIOTS
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has for the first time openly stated his support for ending the embargo on the Turkish Cypriots. According to Greek daily Politis, in a report to extend the term of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Ban said that lifting the embargo from the Turkish Cypriots and developing their economy would contribute to efforts to find a political solution on Cyprus. He added, "The goal of these efforts is to advance the development of the Turkish Cypriots to promote reunification of the island, and to provide greater economic and social equality between the two sides." /Cumhuriyet/
US STATE DEPT: "TURKEY DOESN'T GET GREEN LIGHTS FROM THE US"
The Turkish government takes action against terrorists guided by its own security concerns, not any "green light" from the US, said US State Department spokesperson Tom Casey on Tuesday. "The Turkish government, like any of our other friends and allies, doesn't get green lights from the United States or red lights from the United States," he said when asked about a recent Turkish military operation just across the border in northern Iraq. "In terms of their actions, the Turkish government did this in response to their national security concerns and . the common threat posed to all of us by the PKK, and I'd refer you to the statements that the Turkish military and others have made about this operation. Certainly, as we've reiterated, we have a common goal in seeing the PKK eliminated and not being given a safe haven anywhere. And certainly, as the president said in his meetings with the prime minister, we intend to work cooperatively with the government of Turkey on this issue." /Cumhuriyet/