LEADERS HAIL MARCH 18 CANAKKALE NAVAL VICTORY ON ITS 93RD ANNIVERSARY
President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and many Cabinet ministers yesterday attended a ceremony marking the 93rd anniversary of the Canakkale Naval Victory and remembering that battle's fallen soldiers. Speaking at the ceremony, Gul said the victory played an important role in both Turkish and world history by affecting 20th century military and political developments. For his part, Erdogan said, "The Canakkale Naval Victory has a special place in the history of humanity, as it showed a nation risking its life to protect its territory from enemy occupation, despite a host of challenges, with high spirits and faith." /Hurriyet/
ERDOGAN URGES EU LEADERS TO HELP RESTART CYPRUS TALKS
Following Dimitris Hristofias' election to the leadership of Greek Cyprus, efforts to restart talks for a settlement on the long-divided island have risen. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly sent a letter earlier this month to the leaders of European Union member states expressing Ankara's will to resume talks for a just and permanent settlement on Cyprus under the auspices of the United Nations, as well as within the framework of the plan proposed by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. /Milliyet/
BAYKAL: "THE JUDICIARY IS DEMOCRACY'S SAFETY VALVE"
Speaking at his Republican People's Party (CHP) parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Deniz Baykal expressed sorrow over the state of the country today, adding, "What makes us happy is a healthy democracy." Stressing that his sorrow doesn't mean that he agrees with the actions of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which now faces a closure case, Baykal said he had told AKP officials many times that to prevent instability, they should not distort the fundamental principles of the Constitution. Stating that the judiciary acts as a safety valve for democracy, the CHP leader said that the public chief prosecutor's indictment seeking the AKP's closure was not a personal matter, but an effort to protect the republic's principle of secularism. He stressed how the Constitution bars parties from using religion as a political tool as well as Turkey's unique status in the Muslim world. He also urged the AKP not to try to change the Constitution to avoid closure, adding that political parties and politicians are temporary and shouldn't try to arrange the judiciary to suit their own needs. /Sabah/
DTP OFFICIAL BLASTS AKP CLOSURE CASE AS "SHAME FOR DEMOCRACY"
Democratic Society Party (DTP) group leader Ahmet Turk yesterday criticized a prosecutor's case seeking the closure of the ruling Justice and Democracy Party (AKP) as "a shame for democracy." Speaking at his party's group meeting, Turk said, "Every political party in this country should be free to state its opinion, as long as it does not provoke violence." Turk called on the government to send a new civil constitution to Parliament for consideration, adding that his party would do whatever it can to help. /Turkiye/
BAHCELI: "THE REPERCUSSION OF THE AKP CLOSURE CASE WILL BE FELT ACROSS TURKEY"
A new case seeking the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) closure has deeply shaken Turkish politics, said Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli yesterday. Speaking to his party's group meeting, Bahceli also said that political parties act within the limits set by the Constitution, and if these limits are transgressed, the sanctions are clear. Stating that the Supreme Court of Appeals chief prosecutor filed the closure indictment based on his assessment, Bahceli added that we wouldn't comment on the specifics of the case. "The effects of the case won't just be legal, but will have a deep impact on Turkey," he said. /Cumhuriyet/
GERMAN GREENS' ROTH: "THERE'S NO ROOM IN EUROPE FOR WALLS AND BOUNDARIES"
Germany has experience with divided societies, and there is no room for walls and boundaries in Europe, said German-Turkish Interparliamentary Friendship Group Chair Claudia Roth yesterday. Roth, currently visiting the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), yesterday met with TRNC President Mehmet Ali Talat. "We felt joy with the fall of the (Berlin) wall, and this experience shows that mutual understanding and compromise can been reached after years, and that every country, including those in Europe, can live without walls and separation." For his part, Talat reiterated his call for an end to sanctions on the TRNC. "Cypriot Turks want a solution on the island, as they showed in the 2004 referendum, and the problem remains unresolved due to actions of the Greek Cypriots," he said. Roth also presented a piece of the Berlin Wall to Talat. /Turkiye/
US VICE PRESIDENT TO VISIT ANKARA NEXT WEEK
US Vice President Dick Cheney, on the first stop of his 10-day Mideast tour, yesterday met with Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani in Iraq. Following their talks, Cheney said that they had discussed issues concerning the country. The vice president is expected to arrive in Ankara next Monday for key talks with top Turkish officials on the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) ongoing operations against the PKK. Milliyet/
NATO'S SCHEFFER: "NATO'S NEW MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM WILL INCLUDE TURKEY"
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer yesterday said NATO is now making plans for a new short-range missile defense system. "The planned US missile defense system doesn't cover all of Europe, but NATO's new missile system would encompass Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania," said Scheffer, stressing that NATO should protect all its allies as required under the principle of the indivisibility of security. He also added that this new short-range missile defense system could be joined with the planned US missile defense system in the future. In related news, Turkey's NATO Permanent Representative Tacan Ildem said that Turkey would support NATO's new missile defense system, stating that excluding some countries from the system would harm the principle of the indivisibility of security. /Aksam/
State Minister in Charge of the Economy Mehmet Simsek said yesterday that Turkey doesn't need any new standby agreement with the International Monetary Found, stressing that Turkey's economy has become resistant to global shocks and crises. "Turkey will focus on other options in its relations with the IMF in the years to come," said Simsek. He also added that Turkey will probably pass proposed social security reforms. To release a credit tranche worth $1.3 billion to Turkey, the IMF stipulates the passage of those reforms. /Aksam/