GOV'T SET TO ANNOUNCE MAJOR EU REFORM PACKAGE
The Reform Watch Group convened yesterday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss government-led reforms for full membership in the EU. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, which was also attended by Interior Minister Besir Atalay, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Chief Negotiator for EU talks Egemen Bagis, Premier Erdogan announced that the government would submit to Parliament a comprehensive reform package, including legal amendments in various areas, by the end of this month. Erdogan said the government would also bring a constitutional amendment bill to Parliament as soon as possible. "It is of vital importance to implement various legal amendments, particularly constitutional amendments, to press ahead with our efforts to strengthen democracy, rule of law and human rights in Turkey," Erdogan said. The planned reform package, including constitutional and legal amendments, will introduce changes to strengthen impartiality of justice, and to restructure the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) to ensure the objectivity, impartiality and transparency of the key judicial institution in line with related international documents, Erdogan explained. "This issue is among the short-term priorities of the planned reform package," Erdogan said, adding that the introduction of an ombudsman system aimed at helping to reduce the heavy workload of courts and to contribute to resolving citizens' complaints on various issues was also among the planned steps in addition to changes to the legal regulations on political parties and elections. The government plans to prepare the reform bill as soon as possible and discuss it inside and outside the parliament, then make its final decision and take necessary steps, Erdogan said. "The steps we have been taking on the road to the EU are to bring more advanced standards to our country, making our country freer and prosperous, as well as ensuring a well-functioning democracy and rule of law," Erdogan added. /Sabah/
ARINC TO INAUGURATE TRT TURK OFFICE IN DAMASCUS TODAY
As part of his official visit to Damascus at the invitation of Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc had talks with both Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Mahmout al-Abrash, the speaker of the People's Assembly of Syria, over the weekend. Arinc, who is also the state minister responsible for the state-run broadcaster Turkish Radia and Television Corporation (TRT), is slated to inaugurate the Damascus office of the TRT Turk channel, which will broadcast live from Damascus during the inauguration, today. The channel has recently launched a show featuring music and culture programs on Turkey's neighboring countries in an attempt to build a bridge across borders. Speaking to reporters following talks with Assad and Abrash, Arinc stated that during the meeting the Syrian president voiced his eagerness for deepening bilateral cooperation between the two neighboring countries in various fields. Al-Assad told him that all kinds of facilities would be provided to Turkish investors looking for investment opportunities in Syria, Arinc added. "Mr. President recalls with praise Turkey's stance concerning both the Syrian-Israeli dispute and the Palestinian dispute," he said. All the people in Syria, from the country's president to the citizents on the street, have friendly and brotherly feelings towards Turkey, he said. Commenting on his meeting with al-Abrash, Arinc said Turkish and Syrian parliaments enjoy strong relations. During their meeting, al-Abrash underlined the importance placed by his country on further improvement of ties with Turkey, Arinc added. Speaking on Saturday when he met with Bilal, Arinc emphasized that Turkey and Syria share the same goals in the political arena and foreign politics. Telling how a cooperation protocol had signed between Syrian institutions and the TRT and the Anatolia News Agency (AA) during Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's December visit to Syria, Arinc said Prime Ministry Directorate General of Press and Information was also eager to sign such a protocol. Recalling a cooperation protocol signed between Syrian institutions and the TRT and the Anatolia news agency during Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's December visit to Syria, Arınç said Turkey's Directorate General of Press and Information was also eager to sign such a protocol. /Today's Zaman-Hurriyet Daily News/
TOP-LEVEL GERMAN OFFICIALS TO VISIT TURKEY THIS YEAR
Top officials from Germany are set to visit Turkey this year. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Turkey on March 28-29, while President Horst Kohler will visit in October.
Ankara, which hosted Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle this January, is preparing to host Merkel at the end of the March. Meanwhile, Kohler, who was re-elected for a second five-year term last year, will visit Turkey for the first time while in office. While Westerwelle highlighted Germany's support of Turkey's European Union membership bid in January, Ankara is impatiently waiting for messages from Merkel and Köhler with respect to Turkey's EU bid. While in Ankara, Merkel is expected to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul. Merkel's visit will also include a meeting with local businesspeople. /Today's Zaman/
DAVUTOGLU DUE IN CAIRO TOMORROW AS PART OF 'STRATEGIC DIALOGUE'
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is scheduled to depart tomorrow for a two-day visit to Egypt at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart Ahmad Aboul Gheit, the Foreign Ministry announced over the weekend. A statement from the ministry noted that Davutoglu and Gheit's talks in Cairo will be the second foreign ministerial-level meeting under the Memorandum for a Framework for Turkish-Egyptian Strategic Dialogue, which was signed in autumn 2007 on the sidelines of an expanded summit of Iraq's neighbors held in Istanbul. The first such meeting was held in Ankara in September 2008 between Gheit and then-Foreign Minister Ali Babacan. /Today's Zaman/
TURKEY EMERGING AS HOT TRAVEL DESTINATION FOR US TRAVELERS
Turkey has drawn remarkable attention at the 2010 New York Times Travel Show, one of the leading tourism fairs in the United States. The three-day fair started opened on Friday. The Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency, national air carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) and numerous tour operators and hotels were represented at the Turkish pavilion at this year's fair. "Turkey is currently a rising star in the US travel market," Nihat Bekar, the director of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Office in New York. Turkey receives nearly seven hundred thousand US tourists every year. /Hurriyet Daily News/