IN EGYPT, GUL BREAKS GROUND ON NEW TURKISH INDUSTRIAL ZONE
In Egypt, President Abdullah Gul yesterday attended the ground-breaking ceremony for a new Turkish industrial zone, being built in the November 6 City of Industry, 30 kilometers outside Cairo. During the ceremony, Gul said that in recent years Turkey has carried out a very strong economic program and done necessary reforms. In the wake of this, he said, foreign capital and investments flocked to Turkey. Gul added that Egypt has also made crucial reforms and that the difference is clear to see. Later, speaking to reporters while returning to Turkey, Gul said that he had had many fruitful meetings which helped to improve bilateral relations between Turkey and Egypt. Gul added that he and his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak had discussed relations with the Arab world, the Mediterranean basin, economic and cultural cooperation, and the Middle East. /Star-Aksam/
ERDOGAN: "KURDS ARE A BASIC ELEMENT OF TURKEY"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended the New Economic Forum in Madrid, Spain sponsored by the Wall Street Journal Europe. Speaking to the press, Erdogan criticized efforts by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy to push alternatives to full European Union membership on Turkey. "Turkey can be accepted (as a full member) or not," he said. "But we don't have to accept a place in between." Asked if Turkish Kurds will have a special status and a minority law addressed to them, he said, "This is a mistaken and incomplete question." He added, "Kurds have the same status which I have as a prime minister. They are a basic element of Turkey. They wouldn't accept being a minority." /Milliyet/
HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER VISITS ANKARA
Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan yesterday received his Hungarian counterpart Katalin Szili. During their meeting, Szili said that her trip to Turkey was the first such visit in 15 years. "We support Turkey's European Union bid," she added. /Star/
BAYKAL: "HEADSCARVES ARE AN IMPOSITION FROM MEN"
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent remarks about headscarves, saying, "The headscarf is a political symbol." He added, "The traditional headscarf from Anatolia and the `turban' (modern headscarf) have nothing in common. Putting headscarves in the Constitution would show that Turkey has become a male-dominated society which forces women to wear headscarves through imposing constitutional force." /Cumhuriyet/
GREEK PM TO VISIT TURKEY NEXT WEEK
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis will reportedly pay an official visit to Turkey next Wednesday. After meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Karamanlis will proceed to Istanbul. During the meeting, disputes such as the Aegean continental shelf and airspace will be taken up. /Milliyet/
EU PRESIDENT SLOVENIA BACKS TURKEY'S MEMBERSHIP TALKS
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, whose country currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency, yesterday criticized a proposal by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to create a Mediterranean union, which many see as a plan to sidetrack Turkey's European Union membership bid. Jansa further expressed his support for EU membership talks with Turkey and Croatia. /Today's Zaman/
TUSIAD TO VISIT DIYARBAKIR
A Turkish Businessmen's and Industrialists' Association (TUSIAD) delegation led by Chairwoman Arzuhan Yalcyndag is set to pay a visit tomorrow to Diyarbakir at the invitation of the Eastern and Southeastern Federation of Industrialists' and Business Associations (DOGUNSIFED) in the wake of the deadly terrorist attack earlier this month. /Milliyet/