CABINET TO DISCUSS ROADMAP IN WAKE OF US 'GENOCIDE' VOTE
Today's regular weekly Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will focus on drawing up a roadmap for relations between Ankara and Washington after a key US congressional panel last week branded the killings of Anatolian Armenians during World War I as genocide. Turkey expressed its outrage over the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee's passage of the non-binding resolution on Thursday and recalled its ambassador for consultations. "The decision of the Foreign Affairs Committee will not hurt Turkey, but it will greatly harm bilateral relations, interests and vision," Erdogan said on Saturday, speaking to a group of Turkish businessmen. "Turkey will not be the one to lose." The Obama administration made a last-minute appeal against the resolution and has vowed to stop the vote from going further in Congress. Turkey has said the resolution could jeopardize a fragile drive by Turkey and Armenia to end a century of hostilities and lead to further instability in the Southern Caucasus, a region crisscrossed by oil and gas pipelines to Europe. Turkey's ambassador to the US, Namik Tan, told journalists upon arriving in Turkey on Saturday that it was unclear when he would return to Washington following his talks with the president, prime minister and foreign minister. "I will return when the time is right ... We will have to wait and see," Tan said. The road map is expected to contain flexibility over "retaliatory" steps, as Ankara will also have to focus on preventing US President Barack Obama from calling the killings of Anatolian Armenians "genocide" in an annual White House statement on April 24. /Today's Zaman/
TOP STATE OFFICIALS MARK INTL WOMEN'S DAY, CALLING FOR MORE EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND STATUS
In a written statement marking March 8 International Women's Day, President Abdullah Gul yesterday acknowledged that despite legal progress there are still large problems impeding the improvement of women's status in Turkey. "Enormous steps have been taken in Turkey on the legal basis for improving the status of women," he said. "However, improvement in the legal dimension is much quicker than in practice. Mentalities must be changed and rights gained by legislation must also be actively exercised. So these mentalities will be changed not only by the endeavors of women, but also through comprehensive education and contributions from everybody." Pointing to the need to address problems such as gender discrimination, domestic violence, and lack of access to education, Gül said the elimination of such hurdles requires collective efforts. "I believe wholeheartedly that when we solve the problems of our women and give them equal opportunities in education, our country will leap forward thanks to their contributions," he said. "Women contribute more than anyone else to shaping the future of our country with both their workplace success and the generations they raise. Consequently, the better opportunities we give to our women, the more we will gain power as a society." In related news, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked for women's support for the government's democratic initiative in a weekend speech marking the day in the southeastern Anatolia province of Sanliurfa. Touching on problems facing women such as domestic violence, "honor" killings and inequality in both work and social life, he said, "Whoever treats women in an inhuman way on the pretext of custom, tradition or faith is ignorant. Violence against women is backward." Erdogan also denounced all forms of discrimination against women. /Hurriyet Daily News/
FM DAVUTOGLU HOLDS TALKS IN DAMASCUS
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had talks with senior Syrian officials over the weekend with a focus on the Middle East peace process as well as intermittent tensions between Lebanon and Syria. Davutoglu had separate closed-door meetings with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Assistant Vice President Hassan Turkmani. He also met with his Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Moallem. Israel and Syria held four indirect rounds of peace talks with Turkish mediation in 2008, but they were suspended following the deadly Israeli offensive in Gaza at the end of 2008. Ankara says it is willing to resume mediating indirect talks between Syria and Israel only if both parties clearly voice their will for such mediation. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was prepared to meet with Assad immediately and without preconditions. In response, Moallem reiterated that Israel must first declare its intention to withdraw to its 1967 borders before any talks can take place. /Today's Zaman/
US SEC'Y OF STATE CLINTON INVITES TURKISH CYPRIOT LEADER TO WASHINGTON FOR TALKS
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has invited Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat to Washington at the end of this month to hold talks. TRNC Presidency Spokesman Hasan Ercakica announced over the weekend that the invitation was relayed to Talat on March 4. He said Talat was still assessing the invitation, adding that there was a need to have negotiations both on the next month's presidential elections timetable and the nature of the invitation. Ercakica also said a reply to the invitation would be made next week. In related news, Talat has said he will seek a second presidential term in the election in April. The winner of the election, scheduled for April 18, will be mandated to continue peace negotiations with the Greek Cypriots, a complex process that could be pivotal to Turkey's bid to join the European Union. "It is my mission to create conditions where we can live together alongside Turkey, the Greek Cypriots, Europe and the international community," Talat told supporters on Saturday at a stadium in Lefkosa. "We have come a significant way towards a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem and our integration with the international community. However, I will not be satisfied until the job is complete." Turkey's bid to join the EU partly hinges on progress in Cypriot reunification talks because Greek Cypriots represent the island in the bloc and can obstruct that process. Talat's key challenger is Dervis Eroglu, now prime minister of the TRNC, Eroglu advocates a two-state settlement for the division of Cyprus, a prospect rejected by the Greek Cypriots. /Aksam/
ANKARA HOPES GREEK CYPRIOTS LEARN FROM ECHR RECOGNITION OF TURKISH CYPRIOT PANEL
The European Court of Human Rights' (ECHR) recognition of the Immovable Property Commission (IPC) of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) as a valid domestic judicial remedy whose jurisdiction extends to Greek Cypriots is a "historic" decision that must be grasped well, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said over the weekend. Friday's ruling means that from now on Greek Cypriots will not be able to file court cases against Turkey at the European court prior to seeking redress with the IPC and so sets a precedent for approximately 1,500 property cases pending at the European court. The ruling is significant in that for the first time a Turkish Cypriot commission has been recognized by Europe's top human rights court, boosting the international legitimacy of the TRNC. The judgment should play a "facilitating and positive role" in the ongoing UN-led reunification negotiations between Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders on the divided island, Davutoglu said. He was speaking to Turkish journalists in Cordoba, where he attended a working dinner with foreign ministers of other European Union candidate countries during an informal half-yearly meeting of EU foreign ministers. "Along with the negotiation process, certain progress had been made on governance issues," he said. "From now on, the ruling will provide a significant advantage towards arriving at a fairer resolution of property issues." Property disputes are considered one of the most difficult issues dividing the island. /Today's Zaman/
IRAN'S AHMADINEJAD HAILS TURKEY'S REGIONAL ROLE
Turkey's global stature has gained prominence due to the wise policies of its leaders and officials, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said. Such policies have placed Turkey in a position to play a very "effective" role in ensuring regional stability and security, Ahmadinejad told his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul in a phone conversation, Iran's Press TV reported on Saturday. "Of course, the intelligent people of Turkey also appreciate such policies and support their leaders' constructive plans," Ahmadinejad told Gul. He also said regional and global developments are changing in favor of Iran and Turkey, creating an excellent opportunity for Tehran and Ankara to push harder for peace and justice on a global level. For his part, Gul urged continued negotiations and collaborations between the two nations, saying that they would benefit both regional and international peace and stability. The two presidents also pledged to support each other's rights on various international platforms. /Hurriyet Daily News/
TURKEY TO HOST GLOBAL ECONOMIC FORUM
Turkey will host the 2010 Global Economy Symposium (GES) in September. The symposium, called by some the "Alternative Davos Summit," will focus on problems in the world economy and possible solutions. Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, who represents Turkey at the GES, made recommendations during last year's meeting for a solution to the global crisis. The GES aims to provide a new collaborative setting to analyze the world's most important economic problems, create shared visions of the future, and formulate innovative strategies to achieve these visions. The GES thereby seeks to be a catalyst for future change. In particular, the GES seeks to initiate strategic dialogue on global economic affairs for leading policymakers, business executives, academics and other representatives of civil communities. Such a dialogue is needed as a response to the challenges of an increasingly interdependent world. Policymaking and business decisions need to take into account the changing policy and business environment. The GES provides a forum to think globally about global problems. The GES aims to build communities to come up with practical solutions that contribute to the global public's interest. Themes and Sessions 2010: The symposium is divided into themes and each theme covers several symposium sessions. Each session of the GES deals with a problem that is relevant to the policy, business, academic, and civic communities and generates strategic responses to that problem. /Hurriyet Daily News/