PRESIDENT GUL HOLDS MEETING WITH ERDOGAN, BABACAN ON ISRAELI ATTACKS IN GAZA
President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday held a meeting at the Cankaya Presidential Palace to discuss the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza. A statement after the meeting said they had decided that Babacan would visit New York to attend a meeting at the UN and that Ahmet Davutoglu, Erdogan's chief foreign policy adviser, would travel to Damascus to hold talks at the request of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who will also be visiting Syria. In related news, Erdogan telephoned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi and British counterpart Gordon Brown. During the conversations, Erdogan told the leaders about his recent Middle East shuttle tour, and they resolved to step up efforts on the issue. For his part, Babacan telephoned his US counterpart Condoleezza Rice and British counterpart David Miliband. /Cumhuriyet-Aksam/
GUL TO WELCOME TOP FILMMAKERS TO CANKAYA PALACE
President Abdullah Gul is set to welcome five prominent figures from the world of film to the Cankaya Palace next week, the latest in a series of invitations to distinguished figures since he took office. Among those at the meeting will be producers Sinan Cetin, Turker Inanoglu, Gani Mujde and Erden Kiral, along with actor Sener Sen, /Star/
CICEK: "WE COULD SEND TURKISH SOLDIERS TO GAZA TO CONTRIBUTE TO PEACE"
After yesterday's Cabinet meeting, government spokesperson and Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek told a press conference that the Cabinet members will brief Parliament on Israel's attacks in Gaza today. Asked what Turkey's stance would be on the possibility of sending Turkish soldiers to Gaza, Cicek said, "If doing so would contribute to peace, we wouldn't refuse." Stating that Turkey is following all developments on the issue, Cicek called Israel's ground offensive "unacceptable," adding that the government has also contacted Hamas as part of its diplomatic efforts. /Aksam/
BABACAN: "GAZA CAN'T TOLERATE THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S WAIT-AND-SEE POLICY"
Visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem was received yesterday by President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the situation in Gaza. At the meeting, Muallem called for an Arab League emergency summit along with officials from the UN and European Union. Also after meeting with Muallem, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan told a joint press conference that Israel's ground operation is unacceptable. Adding that Gaza cannot tolerate the international community's wait-and-see policy because civilians are constantly dying from Israeli attacks, he called on the international community to act at once. He underlined that there should be an immediate cease-fire and the attacks should end. For his part, Muallem said that international community should hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza. /Aksam-Star/
EU COMMISSION REJECTS CLAIMS OF DOUBLE STANDARD ON ISRAELI ATTACKS IN GAZA
Rejecting claims that the European Union has taken a softer stand on Israel's airstrikes and ground operation in the Gaza Strip compared to its position on Turkey's cross-border operation into northern Iraq last year, EU Commission spokesman Amadeu Altafaj Tardio yesterday said that accusing the EU of a double standard by trying to link the two issues was wrong. "A strong and balanced statement was made during Turkey's operation," he said. "On Gaza, we made a statement urging the parties to ensure an immediate cease-fire, and called on Hamas to end its missile attacks, and Israel to halt its military operation." /Milliyet/
GOVT RESTORES CITIZENSHIP OF FAMED POET NAZIM HIKMET
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said that the Cabinet had restored the citizenship of renowned Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet, overturning a Cold War-era 1951 decision that stripped Hikmet of his nationality due to his leftist views. Hikmet died in exile in Moscow in 1963, but his works are still being read worldwide. Cicek said, "We think we did the right thing," adding that the poet's family would decide whether to ship Hikmet's remains from Russia back to his homeland. Political parties in Parliament and writers alike praised the decision. Considered by many to be a key figure in Turkish poetry and culture over the past century and one of Turkey's first modern poets, Hikmet's works have been translated into more than 50 languages. His rich use of free verse earned him the esteem of artists, intellectuals and champions of free expression. /Sabah/
Israel must halt the use of disproportionate force in the Middle East for humanitarian reasons, said the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) yesterday. In a statement, TUSIAD condemned Israel's use of disproportionate force against innocent civilians, and praised Turkey's diplomatic efforts to halt Israel's attacks in the Gaza Strip. It added that the US and European Union should take the initiative to end the violence by Israel. /Star/