ERDOGAN VOWS NO RETREAT FROM DEMOCRATIC INITIATIVE
Speaking at his party's parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said any backtracking on the National Unity and Brotherhood Project initiative launched last year to extend more cultural rights to Turkey's citizens of Kurdish origin would amount to succumbing to terrorism. He stated that the government had not launched the democratic initiative for the terrorist organization PKK, saying that giving up the initiative would mean betraying the country's children. "If we give up the initiative, that means terrorism has won," he warned. He said those behind recent terrorist attacks want Turkey to seem like a Third World country in the eyes of the world. Erdogan also dismissed calls for early elections. "Mothers don't want to hear about early elections or martial law; they want to hear a solution," he stated. He harshly rebuffed a call from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) to reinstate martial law to the southeast region, which ended in the early 2000s, saying that this call is tantamount to surrendering to the language of terrorism. Erdogan said violence means the loss of reason. "Where there is violence, there is no reason," he said. "If violence is in play, logic is out." He said they would not succumb to the language of violence. He also briefed deputies on his visit to the Gediktepe district of Hakkari, where 11 soldiers were killed in a weekend terrorist PKK attack on an outpost. He said he saw the nobility and courage of Turkish War of Independence-era soldiers in the soldiers serving in the east and southeast. He stated that these security forces are selflessly waging the war against terrorism under the hardest of conditions. Erdogan said the government is doing everything necessary to fight the war on terror, adding that this is a long-term endeavor. /Today's Zaman/
DAVUTOGLU: "WE WILL DISTINGUISH BETWEEN COUNTRIES WHICH STAND FIRM AGAINST TERRORISM AND THOSE WHICH DO NOT"
Speaking at the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) summit in Istanbul yesterday, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called for European and world countries to stand in solidarity with Turkey against terrorism, adding that Ankara will distinguish between countries which do this and which do not. Referring to a roadside bomb attack by the terrorist PKK on a civilian bus transporting military personnel in Istanbul yesterday, which claimed the lives of four army officers and the daughter of another officer, and came as part of the terrorist group's escalating violence campaign in recent days, Davutoglu said, "Today is a day of test for everyone in our region, Europe and the world. We will treat differently countries which show solidarity with Turkey against terrorism, and those who neglect this solidarity." Turkey's stance towards countries will depend on their stance on this issue, he said. Speaking at a joint press conference alongside his Serbian and Bosnian counterparts afterwards, Davutoglu said Turkey expects the US to show concrete and not just verbal cooperation against terrorism. "When it comes to terror, we expect all our neighbors and countries that suffered from terrorism to stand in full solidarity with Turkey without regard for secondary concerns. They should effectively work with Turkey to eliminate terrorism." Pointing to the trilateral mechanism among Turkey, the US and Iraq to coordinate anti-terror efforts, Davutoglu said, "We established this mechanism for these rainy days. Turkey places great importance on the effective functioning of this mechanism." Turkey will continue its anti-terror efforts in cooperation with the parties of this mechanism, Davutoglu said, stressing the government's resolve to take all necessary measures to fight terror. In related news, in a statement yesterday, Massoud Barzani, the head of northern Iraqi regional administration, condemned a recent PKK attack that targeted a military border unit in Semdinli, Hakkari in southeastern Anatolia. "We're clearly expressing our stance on the latest PKK attack in Semdinli, and we harshly condemn this attack," the statement said. "It is clear that this attack doesn't serve the Kurdish cause but on the contrary, it blocks peaceful paths required for a solution." Stressing that his administration doesn't approve of its territory being used to launch attacks on neighboring countries, the statement also called for understanding and dialogue to stop bloodshed. /Hurriyet/
DAVUTOGLU: "TURKEY WILL CONTINUE ITS EFFORTS TO PROMOTE STABILITY IN THE BALKANS"
Turkey will continue its cooperation efforts with Balkan countries, and particularly Bosnia and Herzegovina, to promote stability in the region, said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday after meeting with his Bosnian and Serbian counterparts, Sven Alkalaj and Vuk Jeremic, on the sidelines of the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) summit in Istanbul. Turkey currently holds the SEECP's annual chair. Davutoglu said such trilateral meetings, which started last October, serve as a good catalyst for both bilateral relations and Turkey's relations with the Balkan region as a whole. "Our main objective was to discuss Bosnia's preparation for a future of internal peace and security," he said, adding that stability in Bosnia is important for the stability of both the Balkans and Europe. He added that Turkey will keep supporting Bosnia's NATO membership efforts. For his part, Serbia's Foreign Minister Jeremic expressed support for continuing the trilateral meetings, as they help more than any other past action to move the Balkan reconciliation process forward. He also said July would be a solemn month for the Balkans as well as the world, as the Srebrenica massacre would be commemorated. He told how this March the Serbian Parliament for the first time officially apologized for the 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica. "I am proud to be part of the administration which decided to apologize," Jeremic said, adding that this had shifted how the Balkan countries look to the past and move together towards the future. "I hope the Balkans will become a zero-problem neighborhood," he said. The heads of state of 11 countries, as well as high-level representatives of the European Union, Council of Europe, UNESCO, NATO, United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), participated in the SEECP summit. For his part, Alkalaj said the trilateral meetings are important not only for exchanging ideas but also for expanding cooperation for the countries involved. "We thank Turkey for supporting Bosnia's application for NATO membership," he said, adding that stability in the Balkans depends on Bosnia joining the alliance. /Hurriyet Daily News/
US OFFERS ITS CONDOLENCES FOR YESTERDAY'S PKK ATTACK
The US offered its condolences to the families and friends of the victims of yesterday's PKK attack in Istanbul. US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Crowley yesterday stated that the PKK is a terrorist organization which threatens Turkey, Iraq, and the US, adding, "They are a threat to the stability of the region and we support efforts by our Turkish allies and our Iraqi allies to deal with the challenge posed by the PKK." In related news, Antonio Miloshoski, the chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, and Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish president of its Parliamentary Assembly, released a joint statement condemning the attack. "We strongly condemn today's terrorist attack on a bus in Istanbul, in which three people were killed, including a child," it said, adding, "The recent upsurge of terrorist violence in Turkey is a matter of grave concern." /Cumhuriyet/
EU'S FUELE: "WE WANT A FREE VISA REGIME WITH TURKEY"
Turkey's Chief Negotiator for EU Talks Egemen Bagis yesterday met with EU Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fuele and columnists and journalists from both Turkey and Europe at a working breakfast. Stating that he prioritizes visa issues with Turkey, Fuele said that technical meetings will start next month with the goal of facilitating visas and shifting to a free visa regime, adding that both Turkey and the EU have duties in this process. "Turkey's part is to finalize readmission agreement as soon as possible, put biometric passports into practice, and improve standards on integrated border management," he elaborated. Fuele was also received by President Abdullah Gul. /Milliyet/
TURKISH FLOATING EXHIBIT TO SET SAIL TO EUROPE NEXT YEAR
A ship showcasing various aspects of Turkish culture and industry will set sail next year and stop in 14 of the 27 European Union countries. "Those questioning Turkey's axis should talk after looking at the destination of this ship," Turkey's Chief European Union talks negotiator Egemen Bagis told reporters yesterday. The project is inspired by a similar initiative that took place in 1926, when, at the behest of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkey, a ship went to Europe to promote the new republic. Carrying Turkish agricultural products, top exports, and traditional artifacts, the ship was one of the world's first floating exhibitions, and visited 16 ports in 12 countries. "What really excites me about this project is that it is a joint initiative of the public and private sectors," added Bagis. The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Union of Aegean Exporters, and Eskisehir Chamber of Industry, as well as several ministries are among the project's supporters. The 193-meter ship has four floors and deck space of 12,000 square meters. Both modern and traditional Turkish richness will be promoted through the show of traditional handicrafts and industrial products, from the automotive industry to the furniture industry. Turkish cuisine will be promoted alongside Turkey's tourism potential. A separate ship carrying representatives of the public and private sector as well as artists will accompany the floating exhibit. The journey will start in Istanbul next March and end in April. The ship will stay two days in each port in 14 major EU cities. "I hope this will be an opportunity for us to share Turkey's creativity with Europe. I hope this exhibit will show what a critical partner Turkey is for EU," said Bagis. "Half of our trade is with Europe," he added, stressing that Turkey need not shrink from improving its relations with the East. His remarks come at a time when some are questioning whether Turkey is shifting its orientation from West to East. "Our minister for foreign trade is in Brussels today. Two days ago he was in Libya," Bagis said, adding that many Western countries are also investing in countries to Turkey's east. /Hurriyet Daily news/