APOLOGY CAMPAIGN DRAWS REACTION, CRITICISMS
A statement by more than 50 former Turkish ambassadors criticizing an initiative to apologize for the 1915 killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans is making for a "lively discussion," said President Abdullah Gul yesterday. "Turkey is a country where everyone can express their opinions," he added. "So various groups and persons can come together and express their opinions." Also criticizing the online apology initiative, started by a group of scholars, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "I don't accept this campaign, I don't support this campaign, I don't take part in it. We committed no crimes, so we don't need to apologize." He added that he had difficulty understanding the scholars because the campaign is being very disruptive. Asked about the initiative at a reception hosted by Kazakh Ambassador to Ankara Bagdad Amreyev, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said that retired ambassadors had already made the proper response. In related news, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Burak Ozuergin said that all issues are open for discussion in Turkey and that foreign policy must take into account the public's views. Sayinig that both the campaign and the ambassadors' statement are private initiatives, he added that Turkey's stance on the incidents of 1915 is public and well known. /Milliyet/
AKP MAYORS IN THREE MAJOR CITIES TO SEEK NEW TERMS, ERDOGAN ANNOUNCES
In local elections set for next March, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has decided to try to stay with the current mayors of three greater municipalities. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday announced the re-nomination of the AKP mayors: Mehmet Özhaseki in Kayseri, Menderes Türel in Antalya and Tahir Akyürek in Konya. Saying that these cities look to the entire world like European cities, Erdogan said this is the result of his party's work at the local level. He added that they would finish announcing the candidates next month. In nominating the candidates for Istanbul and Kocaeli over the weekend, the AKP is also expected to continue with the current mayors. Also touching on government aid for the needy, Erdogan denied opposition claims that the AKP is using this aid for political ends. Under the Constitution, the Turkish Republic is a social welfare state, and this requires aid to the needy, he said. "That's all that we're doing now," he added. In related news, the main opposition Republican People Party (CHP) is expected to nominate its current Izmir Greater Municipality Mayor Aziz Kocaoglu for another term. /Turkiye-Sabah/
BULGARIAN PRESIDENT PARVANOV MEETS WITH GUL, ERDOGAN
President Abdullah Gul and his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Parvanov yesterday attended a luncheon hosted by the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TUSIAD) to mark a Turkish-Bulgarian Business Council meeting. During the meeting, Gul called on businesspeople from both countries to work together as much as possible. For his part, Parvanov said there were too few mutual investments. Parvanov also met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. /Star/
IN KONYA, ANNIVERSARY OF RUMI'S DEATH OBSERVED
The 735th anniversary of the death of 13th century philosopher and mystic poet Rumi was commemorated yesterday with a ceremony in Konya. Addressing the ceremony, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Rumi's views are based on Islam. "Diversity has coexisted in safety, and synagogues, churches and mosques have been together on this land for ages," he added. Saying that people who illicitly try to link terrorism with Islam and spread Islamophobia should read Rumi's work, he added that Rumi and classical German writer Goethe share a similar understanding. Also speaking at the ceremony, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said that those who try to smear Islam with terrorism and violence must face Rumi's humanitarian philosophy, adding, "Thus, Turkey is a place where Islam lives in the most free and rational way." Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay also attended the ceremony. /Milliyet/
GOVT TO PROVIDE MORE LOANS TO SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES NEXT YEAR
Next year the government will loan an additional $5 billion to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) facing financial difficulties due to the global economic crisis. The Treasury Undersecretariat will assume a key role in distributing the loans. The government is also continuing its talks with the World Bank, European Investment Bank and European Commission Development Bank to find new financial resources to cushion the companies from the impact of the crisis. These resources will be distributed as investment credits and working capital loans. In related news, the World Bank announced yesterday that it will extend a $500 million loan to Turkey. The WB said the loan was meant to help government efforts to boost employment and economic growth. /Turkiye/
SCHROEDER: "WE NEED MORE ENERGY PROJECTS BESIDES NABUCCO"
Europe needs Iran's natural gas, and so its policy towards Iran should be different from the US', said former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder yesterday. Addressing a meeting on energy in Istanbul, Schroeder, now working as an advisor to Russian energy giant Gazprom, said, "Besides the Nabucco project, we need different energy projects to transport Caspian natural gas to Europe via Turkey, but they shouldn't compete with each other." He called Turkey an energy bridge between Europe and Iran and Russia, two main energy-providing countries. Stating that by 2020 Europe's annual energy demand will total 200 billion cubic meters, he said the pipelines now being built will only meet 20 million cubic meters of this need. Touching on Turkey's Turkey's European Union negotiation process and the foreign policy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), he praised progress in EU membership talks and Turkey's mediation efforts between Syria and Israel, and between Russia and Georgia. /Star/