PM ERDOGAN: "WE COULD LET AMERICAN SOLDIERS WITHDRAW THROUGH TURKISH TERRITORY"
According to the website of CNN International, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said over the weekend that if the US needs to, Ankara could let US soldiers use Turkish territory while withdrawing from Iraq. In an interview at ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) headquarters, Erdogan said, "With regard to the exit of the American soldiers, we are positive on that issue," He added, "If weapons and ammunition are going to come out, it has to be clear where they are going to be heading. If we are informed about where this military equipment would be going precisely, then we can make a proper evaluation." /Milliyet/
ERDOGAN: "TURKEY WILL CONTINUE ITS PATH TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT WITH THE AK PARTY"
Addressing campaign rallies in Ankara and Istanbul ahead of next Sunday's local elections, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued to criticize his opponents, accusing main opposition Republican People Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal of distorting the facts in order to win votes. Rebuffing Baykal's charge that Turkey has nothing to show for the debt the government has incurred since coming to power in 2002, Erdogan pointed to projects in areas such as education, healthcare, transportation, and social security. Stating that the CHP has already acknowledged its failure in the coming elections, Erdogan said that Baykal was trying to set success criteria for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) instead of tending to his own party. Criticizing the performance of CHP mayors in Istanbul in the early 1990s, Erdogan said, "The CHP doesn't know how to govern a city. Istanbulites know how the CHP ruined the city." Calling for the people to vote for better local services, not ideology, Erdogan said, "We're at the starting line of a new competition to serve Turkey. We're full of enthusiasm and excitement for March 29 (election day). Democracy will be stronger. Istanbul will be stronger. Turkey will continue with the AK Party." He also stressed that he wouldn't allow the seeds of hatred and enmity to be sown among the public. "We will continue our unity with the power we have inherited," he said. "We will not allow the seeds of enmity to grow. We will make all Turkish cities develop." Responding to opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli's criticisms that the AK Party is using state funds for campaign purposes, Erdogan rejected the charges, saying that Bahceli should account for his party's performance as part of a coalition government in the early 2000s. "You borrowed $30 billion from the International Monetary Fund, but over the last seven years we reduced this to $7.8 billion," he said. "We boosted Turkey's export revenues to $132 billion during this time, up from just $39 billion before us."
BAYKAL CALLS ON ISTANBULITES TO PROTECT THE CITY
Campaigning in Istanbul over the weekend for next Sunday's local elections, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal criticized how the government has dealt with case against the Lighthouse Foundation, a German-based charity run by Turks. Touching on the ongoing Ergenekon probe, Baykal stated that while the Lighthouse case has subject to a media blackout, this hasn't applied to Ergenekon. Baykal said that the national debt has more than doubled from $220 billion from 2002 when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) took office to $500 billion today. Baykal urged Istanbulites to protect the city, a source of pride for Turkey. /Star-Aksam/
BAHCELI: "TURKEY IS BEING DRAGGED INTO CHAOS AND CONFLICT UNDER AK PARTY RULE"
Campaigning in Istanbul over the weekend ahead of next Sunday's local elections, opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli charged that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is using state resources for political purposes, to pay for his campaign trips. He added that though the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) had a chance to accomplish something since taking office in 2002, they failed to keep their many promises. "Turkey is being dragged into chaos and conflict under AK Party rule," he added. /Aksam/
BABACAN CALLS OBAMA'S COMING VISIT THE RESULT OF TURKEY'S RISING ROLE IN THE REGION
In a televised interview yesterday, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said US President Barack Obama's visit to Turkey next month is the result of Turkey's strengthening role in its region. "Obama's visit is a natural outcome of Turkey's increasing role in its region," he said. Babacan said Obama had started to revise US foreign policy after talking office, and that the new US administration is doing more listening, taking recommendations, and working to forge closer cooperation with its allies. Obama's trip and the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent visit to Ankara are signals of this change in US foreign policy, Babacan said. On a resolution about the incidents of 1915 in the US Congress, Babacan said Turkey is working against the resolution through meeting with congressmen and other US officials, and explaining Turkey's views and how the resolution could hurt Turkish-US relations. Stressing that Turkey's efforts to normalize its relations with Armenia are going well, Babacan said the resolution could be very important as a sign of the US stance on the 1915 incidents. Touching on Turkey's European Union accession bid, Babacan also said, "Especially after the local elections, a new window of opportunities will open for Turkey to pass more reforms before the next general elections of 2011. We hope that this new era will not see more domestic political problems." He added that Turkey had introduced 30 EU reforms in 2007 and 2008. /Turkiye/
WORLD WATER FORUM ENDS IN ISTANBUL
The Fifth Water Forum ended yesterday in Istanbul after five days of high-level meetings and other events to discuss global water issues and how to solve them. The forum ended with a closing session of the ministerial conference, where Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroglu delivered a speech. "It is one of our most fundamental priorities to provide clean and adequate water for our people, along with appropriate infrastructures and environmental services," Eroglu said. He said the forum was a key step towards global cooperation to find solutions to water problems. "The forum provided the opportunity for us to improve our ability to understand different point of views, and devise and share different solutions," Eroglu said. He said heads of state and government who participated in the forum had issued a call for immediate action on the world water situation. The ministerial conference also issued a declaration and a guideline for water strategies, stressing the importance of more cooperation and better water management in order to ensure water security. /Sabah/
TRT LAUNCHES NEW CHANNEL
The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) new channel TRT Avaz, which will reach the Balkans, Caucasus and Middle Asia, went on air on Saturday. Inaugurating the new channel at Ankara's Anadolu Show and Congress Center were President Abdullah Gul, Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan, State Minister Mehmet Aydin, Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay, TRT Director General Ibrahim Sahin, foreign mission chiefs and many guests. TRT Avaz broadcasts in Turkish, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Azeri, Uzbek and Turkmen over a region from Eastern Europe to China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. /Cumhuriyet/