GUL HOSTS DINNER FOR NEW CABINET
President Abdullah Gul last night hosted a dinner for newly appointed Cabinet members at the Foreign Ministry Residence. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also attended the dinner. /Star/
ERDOGAN DUE IN AZERBAIJAN
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, along with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, tomorrow will pay a working visit to Baku, Azerbaijan. Erdogan will meet with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and address the Azeri Parliament. /Cumhuriyet-Aksam/
NEW STATE AGENCY TO GATHER ALL COUNTERTERRORISM INTELLIGENCE UNDER ONE ROOF
A new state agency to coordinate the counterterrorism efforts of various security forces will also gather all intelligence collected by different agencies in a single place, Interior Minister Besir Atalay told a press conference in Ankara yesterday. Atalay said the new agency would be called the Undersecretariat for Public Order and Safety, adding that it would enable the state to gather all intelligence information from different security units under one roof. Explaining that the undersecretariat will offer policy alternatives to decision-makers by analyzing security policy, Atalay said that the new unit would have no operational functionality. Stating that the new agency will have a "human focus" in its counterterrorism policy, Atalay said Turkey needs strategy alternatives for its decision-makers and that this could be supplied by research into every aspect of terrorism, including its social and psychological dimensions. Atalay also stressed that the government`s counterterrorism efforts would be in sync with democracy, adding that they would not sacrifice democracy to terrorism. A bill to set up the new agency has already been sent to Parliament. /Turkiye/
GOVT COMPLETES PREPARATIONS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Cemil Cicek said that all sectors of Turkish society agree on the need for constitutional changes. Stating that the government has completed its preparations for either sweeping or more targeted changes, Cicek said those who favor this effort should voice their views. Cicek also said the government is set to introduce major changes to the organizational structure of the country`s European Union affairs agency to take a more effective course in accession negotiations. "There is an urgent need for an organizational overhaul of the Secretariat General for EU Affairs to continue the negotiations in a more effective fashion," he said. Cicek also said the overhaul was needed as the secretariat`s current organizational structure has serious problems, adding that a number of new departments would be introduced to it as well. /Hurriyet/
PORTUGUESE PRESIDENT IN ANKARA FOR OFFICIAL VISIT
Portuguese President Anibal Cavacu Silva arrived in Ankara yesterday for a four-day official visit at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. After receiving Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan late yesterday, today Silva is expected to meet with President Gul at the Cankaya Presidential Palace and to address Turkish lawmakers in Parliament. As part of his visit, Cavacu will also visit Istanbul and the Cappadocia region. With firm support for Turkey`s EU accession bid, Portugal enjoys good political and cultural relations with Turkey and aims to further improve bilateral trade ties. /Sabah/
SWEDISH PM: "THE EU HAS TO KEEP ITS WORD TO TURKEY"
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt yesterday said that the European Union has to keep its word to Turkey. Stating that the EU promised to be open to new members as long as they fulfill the Copenhagen criteria, Reinfeldt added, "I think we have to abide by this assurance. But this means a reform process and change." In related news, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn`s spokesperson Krisztina Nagy yesterday spoke about French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel`s recent statements that they favor a "privileged partnership" for Turkey in lieu of full EU membership. "The EU`s stance on Turkey is very clear and we have stated it many times," she said. "The important thing here is Turkey fulfilling the EU criteria." /Milliyet-Star/
BABACAN-LED MEETING OUTLINES NEW ECONOMIC POLICY
Chaired by State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan, the Economic Coordination Board (EKK) gathered yesterday with the attendance of other economy-related Cabinet ministers such as Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergun, State Minister for Foreign Trade Zafer Caglayan and Cevdet Yilmaz, the state minister responsible for the State Planning Organization. The EKK plans to focus on ways to strengthen the Turkish economy`s competitive power and to make it more resilient in the long term to reduce the impact of the global economic crisis, said a statement released after the meeting. The statement added that members of the board focused on the global crisis and recent economic developments. "In upcoming meetings of the council, we will continue to discuss ways to reduce the impact of the global crisis on our country and examine the outcome of measures taken so far. It is one of the priorities of our council to determine the steps to be taken and the regulations to be implemented in order to strengthen the Turkish economy's competitive power and make it more resilient. Some relevant non-member ministers and representatives of public and private institutions, including NGOs and universities, may be invited to future meetings of the board," said the board's message. /Aksam/