GUL: "FIGHTING TERRORISM REQUIRES THE USE OF ALL MEANS, NOT ONLY MILITARY ONES"
The fight against terrorism cannot be waged through military means alone, as all resources must be mobilized to destroy the terrorist PKK, said President Abdullah Gul yesterday. He made the remarks while visiting the construction site for a tunnel between Istanbul's Sariyer and Cayirbasi districts, where he learned about the project and posed for photos together with workers there. Speaking to reporters, Gul called terrorism Turkey's biggest issue, saying that destroying terrorism and the groups behind it is the duty of any state. All state institutions must help to end the terrorist threat so the sacrifice of young men towards this end is no longer needed, Gul said. Stressing that fighting terrorism should be a priority for all governments, Gul said, "Terrorism cannot be fought through military means alone, but all resources should be mobilized. Diplomacy, and our army and police, which wage the war against terrorism with great sacrifice and bravery, become part of this fight where appropriate. Other elements also step in to win the hearts of the people in regions threatened by terrorism." Stating that not all aspects of the fight can be discussed publicly, Gul said, "There are publicly known and unknown aspects of this issue. You can't discuss everything about such a difficult struggle in public." The way the fight is waged is up to the nation's experts, Gul said, including commanders, security forces, intelligence officers, and economic, social or cultural experts where appropriate. Gul also urged that terrorism not be used for political fodder, as this only helps the terrorists. /Sabah/
ERDOGAN: "AFTER THE REFORM PACKAGE PASSES NEXT MONTH, A NEW CONSTITUTION WILL FOLLOW"
The road will be paved for an entirely new constitution if a package of constitutional reforms passes in a referendum next month, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, adding that this new civilian-made constitution would promote freedom and democracy. Speaking to reporters during a visit to the city of Van, Erdogan said the process of drafting a new constitution would speed up if the package is passed, but added that even if it's rejected, he government will press ahead with efforts for a new constitution. Erdogan said that though the package falls short of guaranteeing a great democratic future for Turkey, its changes are still a step in the right direction. "If we can win a majority that will enable us to draw up a new constitution in 2011, we will do so," he said. "We're set on this and have no plans to back down." He said the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) had wanted a new constitution after the 2007 elections but that the opposition had resisted. Nevertheless, he said they would complete this process, adding that they would seek consensus with the opposition in drafting a new constitution. "Of course, we would like to see the opposition contribute to a new pro-freedom and pro-democracy constitution, but if it continues to defend the status quo, we will certainly make a new constitution by working with civil groups and the public," he added. /Today's Zaman/
OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON TO ADDRESS TENSIONS WITH THE US
A three-member delegation headed by Foreign Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu is holding talks in Washington this week to seek ways to overcome tensions in Turkish-US ties in the wake of Turkey voting against sanctions on Iran at the UN Security Council and blasting Israel for killing its nationals on an aid ship. Sinirlioglu and Deputy Undersecretaries Tacan Ildem and Selim Yenel began talks on Monday by meeting with US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns. They also had talks with National Security Council Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy, and Richard Armitage, who heads the American-Turkish Council (ATC). The delegation was to meet with Special Envoy of the Secretary of State for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar and his advisor, former Ambassador to Ankara Mark Parris, on Tuesday. They were also due to have talks with Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Philip Gordon, the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, and address a closed session at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Turkish Ambassador in Washington Namik Tan is also attending the talks. The talks cover the full range of Turkish-US ties, and have been going well, according to diplomatic sources. Also according to sources, topic A of the talks has been Iran, with the Turkish side reiterating that Turkey won't be bound by unilateral US sanctions on Tehran. "Interstate energy agreements account for some 80 percent of the trade between Turkey and Iran," said one high-level Turkish official who attended the talks. "The remaining 20 percent is between private Turkish and Iranian companies. The US government says companies doing business with Iran can't deal with the US. Unilateral US sanctions on Iran won't be binding on Turkey. The US administration should discuss this matter with companies which do business with Iran." /Today's Zaman, Hurriyet/
FT FOREIGN AFFAIRS COLUMNIST URGES EU LEADERS TO END HYPOCRISY, BE HONEST WITH TURKEY
European Union leaders should put an end to insincerity in their relations with candidate country Turkey and instead honestly discuss how to proceed with Ankara's accession talks, wrote Gideon Rachman, the chief foreign affairs commentator for Britain's Financial Times, in an opinion piece yesterday. Stating that Turkey's importance to the West can be gauged by how both US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron gave important speeches either to Turkish deputies or business leaders in Ankara within months of taking office, Rachman continued: "The west cares about Turkey because it is a hinge state between east and west and a rare example of a majority Muslim state that is also a secular democracy. Turkey is a neighbor of both Russia and Iran, and is also a member of NATO. It has a rapidly growing and dynamic economy." Touching on Western concern over how Turkey recently voted against new UN sanctions on Iran as well as its severely strained relations with Israel, Rachman said, "But it is Turkey's faltering effort to join the European Union that has come to symbolize the country's uncertain relationship with the West." Urging EU leaders to take a sincere stance on Turkey, Rachman said, " 'Talking Turkey' is meant to mean speaking frankly and getting to the heart of the matter. But, in the European Union, 'talking Turkey' has become a synonym for double-talk and evasiveness." Stating that Turkey still wants to join the EU despite opposition from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Rachman suggested that Turkey's EU accession talks should be continued on a new basis: "So perhaps it is time really to 'talk Turkey' - and to be frank. It would indeed be a wonderful thing if Turkey were to join the EU. But if that is to happen, Turkish membership has to be agreed on a new basis. It cannot involve total free movement of people between Turkey and the rest of the EU the rules are clear. Eventually, all citizens of the EU have to enjoy equal rights. It is those rules that will have to change if Turkish accession to the EU is ever to become a reality. Creating special rules for the Turks would be denounced as unfair, and even racist. But, as long as Turkish membership raises the prospect of mass emigration to the rest of the EU, it will be impossible to sell it to western European voters." Citing how mass migration from new member countries to central Europe has become a political issue in countries such as France, Germany, Britain and the Netherlands, where the governments have tightened anti-immigration measures, Rachman said, "The surge in the vote for the radical, anti-immigration right in the recent Dutch elections demonstrated that mass migration, particularly from Muslim countries such as Turkey, is unpopular enough to transform domestic politics in some western European countries. In the face of all this evidence, European politicians would simply be irresponsible to press ahead with negotiations to bring Turkey into the European Union without addressing the issue of immigration. In the long run, they will not do it. In the short run, they take refuge in double-talk and hypocrisy." Saying that it would be a gamble to try to revive the Turkish-EU conversation while finally facing up to the question of immigration, Rachman explained, "The Turks might walk away in a huff. But even without complete free movement of people, Turkey would still have a great deal to gain from joining the EU. As the second most populous nation in the union - and perhaps soon the largest - it would have a huge weight in the framing of European law, and a big delegation at the European Parliament. Turkey would also get the financial and structural aid that the EU lavishes on poorer, new members. It would have unfettered access to the European single market, a big say in the framing of EU foreign policy and the legal and diplomatic protections that come with EU membership. Under the new deal Turkish citizens would not get the automatic right to work anywhere in the EU; but they could expect travel to become significantly easier." Rachman concluded by saying, "Membership of the EU, without complete free movement of people, is a deal Turkey might choose to reject or accept. But, at least it is an offer that could be made in good faith." /Aksam/
IRAN INSISTS ON TURKISH INCLUSION IN NUCLEAR SWAP TALKS
Iran yesterday reiterated that it favors the inclusion of Turkey and Brazil in planned nuclear talks with the Vienna Group, given the two countries' central role in drafting a nuclear swap deal that Tehran says should be the basis of the upcoming talks. Speaking to the press, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Turkish and Brazilian participation in the talks would be useful. In June, Iran signed an agreement with Turkey and Brazil to send 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in return for 120 kilograms of uranium fuel enriched up to 20 percent, for use in a medical research reactor in Tehran. The deal, almost identical to a plan offered to Iran last year by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), failed to stop the US from passing sanctions against Iran at the UN Security Council. Turkey and Brazil, both non-permanent members of the council, voted against the new sanctions. Mehmanparast said Iran is ready for the talks with the Vienna Group (the IAEA, the United States, Russia and France), but that there should be a consensus on the time and place of the talks. He also reiterated that the talks should be based on the Tehran Declaration, referring to the June deal with Turkey and Brazil. On Monday, a senior Iranian lawmaker said it would be "natural" for Brazil and Turkey to participate in Iran's talks with the Vienna Group, as they are the architects of the declaration. Iran, Turkey and Brazil must be present at the negotiating table, said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee. /Today's Zaman/
UN CHARGES ISRAEL NOT COOPERATING WITH FLOTILLA PROBE
Israel is not cooperating with the UN Human Rights Council's probe of its deadly raid on an international aid flotilla that was trying to break the blockade of Gaza, a UN official said yesterday. Juan Carlos Monge said the fact-finding mission is speaking to witnesses and government officials in Turkey and Jordan, but that the team has not been granted access to Israel. Israel's UN mission declined to comment on the investigation. A three-member fact-finding team appointed by the UN Human Rights Council arrived in Turkey over the weekend and is currently examining evidence from Israel's May 31 attack, which killed eight Turks and one Turkish-American. In a statement released on Monday, the UN said the investigators have begun questioning witnesses of the attack, after hearing other witnesses in London and Geneva. After two weeks, it will move on to Amman, Jordan. Turkey, on the other hand, has pledged full cooperation with the UN investigators. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who met on Monday with the UN team's Desmond de Silva, a former UN war crimes prosecutor, said all the information in Turkey's hands would be shared with the three-member team with maximum transparency. Davutoglu said Israel has indirectly admitted its guilt by opposing such investigations but added that he hopes it will reverse this. Davutoglu said at the meeting that the response Israel gets from the international community will help promote peace by proving that no country is above the law. /Today's Zaman/
INDIA, CIS COUNTRIES EYE STRONGER COOPERATION WITH TURKEY
Trade between Turkey and India reached $3 billion in the last two years, India-Turkey Business Council head G.B.S Raju said yesterday. India and Turkey have managed to overcome the difficulties of the global economic crisis, added Raju, who is also chairman of GMR International Group. "The trade statistics available for the first six months already tell a different story. While India's exports have grown by 97 percent, Turkey's exports to India have grown 38 percent," he said, speaking in Istanbul at the India-Turkey-CIS Business Forum, organized by Turkey's Foreign Economic Relations Board. He said that India places great importance on its partnerships with Turkey and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, and has also invited Turkish firms to take part in Indian infrastructure projects. "We're aware of the impressive global ranking of Turkish construction companies," he added. "India is a land of infrastructure. India is planning to invest over $500 billion in infrastructure between 2007 and 2012. This figure will eventually reach $1 trillion." Also speaking to the forum, Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergun underlined the growing economic potential of Turkey, India and CIS countries. "There are important changes in the world, and eastern countries are gaining more importance every day," he said. Turkish exports to India reached $411 million last year, while imports totaled $1.9 billion. In the first half of this year, Turkey exported goods worth $257 million to India and imported goods worth $1.89 billion, according to the Prime Ministry's Foreign Trade Undersecretariat. /Hurriyet Daily News/