NATO PLEDGES TO SUPPORT NEW IRAQI GOVERNMENT
During the first day of Istanbul’s historic NATO summit, the leaders of 26 NATO member states issued a declaration pledging to fully support the new Iraqi government, which assumed sovereignty yesterday two days early. The declaration said that the alliance offers cooperation to the Iraqi government to establish peace, stability and democracy in the country. Condemning the terrorist attacks in Iraq, the declaration warned that such actions also threaten the security of the entire region. The leaders also offered to train Iraqi security forces. In addition, the alliance decided to increase NATO’s role in Afghanistan, boosting its troops there from 6,500 to 10,000, and to withdraw its forces from Bosnia, handing over its command of that mission to the European Union. The declaration also welcomed the seven new NATO members who joined the alliance earlier this year. /Turkiye/
SCHEFFER: “OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS, NATO HAS GROWN MORE DECISIVE”
NATO Secretary-General Jaap da Hoop Scheffer said yesterday that NATO had changed and become more decisive over the last 18 months. In his opening address to the two-day NATO summit in Istanbul, Scheffer pointed out that the summit was the first since NATO’s recent enlargement with seven new members. "The logo of our Istanbul summit depicts a bridge, and this is no coincidence," added the alliance leader. "Through the centuries, Istanbul has been a real bridge – not just between continents, but also between cultures, religions and civilizations." /Hurriyet/
NATO SEEKS DIALOGUE WITH GULF AND MIDEAST COUNTRIES
At Istanbul’s NATO summit yesterday, leaders of the member states decided to expand the alliance’s reach beyond Europe by giving a green light to the Greater Middle East Initiative. NATO began its dialogue with Mediterranean states in 1994, and now is offering cooperation to Persian Gulf and Middle Eastern countries through the “Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.” The project will be formulated in line with feedback from the countries in question. The alliance proposes cooperation with these countries in the areas of defense, anti-terrorist efforts and the military. In addition, another decision was made for NATO to establish permanent representative offices in Asia, the Middle East and the Caucasus. /Turkiye/
SEZER MEETS WITH CHIRAC, DISCUSSES TURKEY’S EU BID
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday discussed Turkey’s European Union membership bid with French President Jacques Chirac, who is currently in Istanbul to attend the current NATO summit. During their meeting, Sezer reportedly said that he expected France, one of the EU’s leading states, to support Turkey’s EU membership bid. Sezer reportedly stressed that Turkey had fulfilled the Union’s Copenhagen criteria and should be given the same treatment as other candidates who did so in the past. He also stated that he hoped the European Commission’s fall report on Turkey would be positive, adding that the Union should give a date to Turkey at the December EU summit to begin its accession talks. For his part, Chirac expressed his country’s support for Turkey’s EU bid, and called Ankara’s membership bid an “irreversible process.” “The Union has a 40-year commitment, and this commitment concerns a vision related with the future of Europe,” he said, adding that Ankara had a “historic European vocation.” Chirac said that Turkey beginning its accession talks with the Union depended on the European Commission report. During their meeting, Sezer also sought French support to end the international isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Touching on Iraq, Chirac said that he welcomed the US-led coalition’s handing over power to the new government yesterday in Baghdad. /Aksam/
GUL HOLDS BILATERAL MEETINGS WITH WORLD LEADERS
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday held bilateral meetings with several leaders attending the current NATO summit in Istanbul. In talks with his British counterpart, Gul urged Jack Straw to lend support to end the international isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Gul also called on Britain to begin direct flight to the TRNC soon. For his part, Straw said that both the European Union and Britain had been working seriously on the matter. Furthermore, the Turkish foreign minister also met with his Macedonian, Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts. /Cumhuriyet/
NATO LEADERS LEND SUPPORT TO TURKEY’S EU BID
The leaders of countries belonging to both NATO and the European Union yesterday signaled their support for Turkey’s EU membership bid. Speaking at a “Youth Summit” in Istanbul held before the NATO gathering there, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said that Ankara had been implementing the EU criteria as preconditions to begin its membership negotiations, adding that the Union should keep its word. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis asserted that Ankara’s rapprochement with Europe would serve to benefit the EU and Turkey as well as its neighbors. In addition, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi reiterated his support for Turkey’s membership, saying, “I think there's a good possibility that Turkey's entry negotiations with the Union will start in the first few months of 2005.'' Furthermore, addressing the same gathering, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pointed to the key role of youth and their importance in bridging different cultures. /Turkiye/
BUSH: “TURKEY IS A SOLID DEMOCRACY AND A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR THE BROADER MIDEAST REGION”
Speaking at a joint conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday, US President George W. Bush yesterday said he welcomed the US-led coalition’s surprise power handover to the new government in Baghdad two days earlier than planned. He further hailed the “amazing progress” the world had seen in the nearly three years since the September 11 terrorist attacks and said of Turkey, "You know, Turkey is solid. There's a solid democracy here in the broader Middle East, which is a great example." For his part, Blair said that fighting for Iraq meant fighting against terrorism, adding that NATO’s support towards this goal was important. /Hurriyet/
SPANISH, ITALIAN PREMIERS EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU BID
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with his Spanish counterpart Jose Luis Rodrigues Zapatero to discuss Turkey’s European Union membership bid. During their meeting, Zapatero expressed support for Turkey to begin its accession talks with the EU. “You can be sure that we’ll support your beginning your accession talks,” he said, adding that he believed the European Commission’s fall report on Turkey would be positive. “All of us can see Turkey’s progress.” Zapatero further stressed that Turkey was an important country for Spain and especially praised cooperation between the two countries in the field of aviation, adding that this should be built on. Later, Erdogan met with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. During their meeting, Berlusconi reiterated Italy’s support for Ankara’s membership bid, adding that he too expected the EC report on Turkey to be positive. The two leaders also discussed Iraq, Afghanistan, and the fight against terrorism. /Milliyet/
ERDOGAN: “IT’S A GREAT HONOR FOR TURKEY TO HOST THE NATO SUMMIT”
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday hosted a banquet at historic Topkapi Palace for the leaders of NATO member states in Istanbul to attend the two-day NATO summit. Addressing the gathering, Erdogan said that it was a great honor for Turkey to host the historic summit. Erdogan stressed that the summit was very important for him since it was his first at Turkey’s helm. The premier further praised NATO’s recent enlargement with seven new members. Also addressing the gathering, NATO Secretary-General Jaap da Hoop Scheffer said that Istanbul was the most fitting revue for the summit and added that he appreciated Turkey’s hospitality. /Aksam/
SEMRA SEZER HOSTS LEADERS’ WIVES
Semra Sezer, the wife of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, yesterday hosted the wives of leaders attending the NATO summit in Istanbul, including Laura Bush and Cherie Blair, the wives of the US president and British premier, respectively. Following a tea party at Ciragan Palace, Mrs. Sezer treated her guests to a tour of Istanbul’s historical and picturesque sites. Then they attended a fashion show spotlighting the work of designer Cemil Ipekci. /Sabah/
ISTANBUL WEATHERS ANTI-NATO PROTESTS
While the two-day NATO summit continues, yesterday anti-NATO demonstrations were held outside the summit venue in Istanbul. During clashes with security forces, a number of policemen and demonstrators were injured. In addition, a group of Greenpeace activists unfurled a banner from a bridge over the Bosphorus strait. /Cumhuriyet/
NEW IRAQI PM ALLAWI: “THE PKK IS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION”
Paul Bremer, the top US civilian administrator in Iraq, yesterday relinquished his post and handed over all documents concerning sovereignty and authority to new Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. The handover was previously set for this Wednesday, June 30, but due to security concerns it was moved up two days. Addressing the handover ceremony, Bremer called it an historic day and that in the name of the coalition forces, he was happy to turn the sovereignty of the state to Iraq’s own people. In addition, after assuming the government’s reins, Allawi stated that he had included the illegal terrorist group PKK/Kongra-Gel on the country’s official terrorist list. Commenting on the news, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul hailed the development and expressed his pleasure at the Iraqi people taking their future into their own hands. /Star/