US' OBAMA TO HOLD TALKS IN ANKARA
Fresh from a G-20 meeting in London and NATO summit in France, US President Barack Obama yesterday arrived in Ankara to pay an official visit. Obama was greeted by State Minister Mehmet Simsek, Turkish Ambassador in Washington Nabi Sensoy, US Ambassador to Ankara James Jeffrey, and Ankara Governor Kemal Onal. Obama will begin his official meetings after visiting Anitkabir, Ataturk's mausoleum. Afterwards, he will meet with President Abdullah Gul. Later, he is set to visit Parliament, with Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan hosting, and will also meet with opposition leaders, including main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli, and Democratic Society Party (DTP) Ahmet Turk. Afterwards, Obama will address the full Parliament, with many members of the media also in attendance, as well as President Gul. Obama will also hold contacts with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Prime Ministry, and then will proceed to Istanbul to attend the second forum of the Alliance of Civilizations. /Cumhuriyet-Star/
ISTANBUL HOSTS ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS FORUM
The Second Forum of Alliance of Civilizations will start today in Istanbul. The opening ceremony will start will speeches by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Alliance of Civilizations High Representative Jorge Sampaio. Among those at the forum will be Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Greek Cypriot administration Foreign Minister Markos Kipriyanu, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, and US President Barack Obama. Erdogan will host a luncheon and President Abdullah Gul will host a banquet for the participants, and a Bosphorus tour will be offered on the last day of the forum. Brazil is set to host the third forum next year. /Cumhuriyet-Milliyet/
OBAMA URGES EU TO ADMIT TURKEY
At a weekend US-European Union summit in Prague, the Czech Republic, which holds the Union's rotating presidency, US President Barack Obama urged the 27-member bloc to admit Turkey as a member, saying that doing so would be a positive sign to the Muslim world. Obama also urged the West to seek closer relations and cooperation with the Islamic world. While Obama's remarks prompted France and Germany to reiterate their opposition to Turkish membership, the European Commission welcomed his strong backing for Turkey's bid. "I welcome very much the clear statements of President Obama on this matter," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told reporters. "We have started a process of negotiations with Turkey for full membership," Barroso added, alluding to calls by ruling conservatives in France and Germany that Ankara should be offered "privileged ties" short of actual membership. In related news, commenting on Obama's remarks, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn said, "The EU should live up to its promises to Turkey, which has been continuing EU reforms, to give it a chance to prove its ability to become a full EU member." Rehn also said the EU needs a stable Turkey which is becoming more democratic. /Turkiye-Sabah/
SPAIN'S ZAPATERO REITERATES SUPPORT FOR TURKEY'S EU BID
Spanish Prime Minister and Alliance of Civilizations Co-Chair Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, currently in Istanbul, yesterday met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Later, at a joint press conference, Erdogan expressed his pleasure at Spain's support for Turkey's European Union bid. Stating that they discussed what could be done to accelerate Turkey's EU bid during Spain's EU term presidency, set to begin next January, he added, "Our countries have no problems between us. Our two countries' policies overlap on the Middle East, the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Mediterranean." For his part, Zapatero said that Spain will continue to support Turkey's EU membership. Stating that Turkey should join this "peace and cooperation process," he expressed his hopes that Turkey will meet the EU criteria. He also reiterated that Spain will always support Turkey. On the sidelines of the meting, agreements were signed between the two countries. Zapatero is set to proceed to Istanbul today to attend the Second Alliance of Civilizations Forum. /Star/
AFTER GETTING ASSURANCES, ANKARA GIVES DANISH PM GREEN LIGHT FOR TOP NATO POST
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, just named NATO's new secretary-general, today faces his first test on reaching out to a skeptical Muslim world after his bid for the post faced Turkish opposition over his handling of the 2006 Prophet Muhammad cartoon crisis. After 36 hours of intense bargaining, which involved intervention by US President Barack Obama, Turkey agreed on Saturday afternoon to lift its opposition to Rasmussen. Ankara gave the go-ahead after receiving assurances, certified by Obama, that Rasmussen will ease Muslim concerns in a speech today at an Alliance of Civilizations meeting in Istanbul. As a result of the tough bargaining during NATO's 60th anniversary summit, co-hosted last week by Germany and France, Turkey also won assurances for better NATO ties with the Organization of t.he Islamic Conference (OIC) and more Turkish presence in the NATO command, in what appears to be an Obama-brokered deal. Obama also had an hour-long private meeting with President Abdullah Gul, who represented Turkey at the NATO summit, easing Turkey's concerns in order to unblock a deal over Rasmussen. The Danish prime minister was also present for part of the meeting. In addition, Rasmussen also vowed to deal with the issue of Roj-TV, a Danish-based TV station which Ankara calls a propaganda machine for the terrorist PKK. Rasmussen has become unpopular in Ankara for showing unwillingness to take steps against Roj-TV, despite evidence presented by Ankara that it is linked to the PKK, an organization designated by the EU as a terrorist group. In related news, Gul expressed pleasure at the understanding of Turkey's concerns over Rasmussen taking the top NATO post and thanked Obama for helping to broker a deal. Gul also praised the NATO admission of Albania and Croatia, adding that Turkey had always supported an open-door policy, and wants Macedonia to join the alliance too. /Sabah/