GUL TO SARKOZY: "TURKEY`S MEMBERSHIP WON`T BURDEN THE EU, BUT MAKE IT STRONGER"
At the Cankaya Presidential Palace yesterday, President Abdullah Gul received French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, in Ankara to lay the groundwork for French President Nicolas Sarkozy`s planned Turkey visit early next year. Gul used the occasion to convey a message to his French counterpart, known for his staunch opposition to Turkey`s European Union accession bid. "I hope you had the opportunity to see for yourself how Turkey won`t put a burden on the shoulders of the EU but on the contrary make it stronger," Gul told Kouchner. Reiterating Turkey`s determination to join the 27-member bloc, Gul said, "Claims that Turkey`s membership will place an additional burden on the EU don`t reflect the truth. On the contrary, Turkey`s accession will make the Union stronger and add to its dynamism." Nobody has the right to disrupt relations between Turkey and the EU for the sake of a country, Gul said, referring to the Greek Cypriot administration. Stating that Turkey now wields stronger influence in such regions as the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Middle East and Africa, Gul said, "These are also important areas for France. We can cooperate on various projects in these regions." Recognizing Turkey`s rising international clout, Kouchner, for his part, said, "We`ve been closely following Turkey`s active foreign policy of recent years. Wherever we go, we find the Turkish presence there." Speaking to reporters after talks with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, Kouchner said Sarkozy is scheduled to visit Turkey next January after France takes over the term presidencies of the G-20 and G-8. For his part, Davutoglu said political consultations between the two countries will gain momentum in the months to come, adding that a diplomatic exchange program will also start. Kouchner also pledged stronger cooperation with Turkey`s fight against the terrorist PKK, saying that 28 members of the group are currently in jail in France, and cited a recent visit to Paris by Turkish intelligence head Hakan Fidan. "Some give the impression that Turkey and France don`t get along, but the opposite is true," he said. "Our countries enjoy very good relations. However, we also have some EU-related problems that should be sorted out." At the dedication later of a new wing of Ankara`s Charles de Gaulle high school, Kouchner said in Turkish, "Turkey and France are two countries which are great friends. We share a common future." /Star, Sabah, Hurriyet/
VISITING FLOOD-STRICKEN PAKISTAN, ERDOGAN PLEDGES UNWAVERING SUPPORT
Speaking to reporters yesterday before leaving for a working visit to flood-stricken Pakistan, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that to date Ankara has sent $25 million worth of aid to the country, and that the total of public and private aid from Turkey exceeds $200 million, which will be used by the Turkish Housing Development Authority (TOKI) to build houses, schools, mosques and hospitals for the Pakistani people. Erdogan is being accompanied by a host of Cabinet members, including Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek, along with Burhan Kayaturk, the head of Parliament`s Turkish-Pakistani Friendship Group. In related news, asked about claims that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had proposed that Turkey declare a general amnesty for terrorist PKK members as part of efforts to eradicate the group, Erdogan denied it, saying, "There is nothing like this. There is only solidarity between Turkey only Syria in the fight against terrorism." Erdogan recently visited Damascus to discuss joint measures against the terrorist PKK, with both Erdogan and Assad vowing stronger anti-terrorism cooperation. /Hurriyet, Turkiye/
FRANCE PLEDGES MORE HELP IN EU TALKS, SAYS BALL IN TURKEY`S COURT
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner yesterday said that Turkey`s European Union goal could move closer if necessary reforms are carried out, adding that the ball is in Turkey`s court. Kouchner, on an official visit to Turkey, said Turkey needs to carry out a number of reforms for talks on three negotiation chapters to begin, pledging French support if the reforms are done. Speaking at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, Kouchner said the chapter on competition could be opened by year`s-end and that Belgium, which currently holds the EU`s rotating presidency, appears to be receptive to this. The two other chapters, he said, are social policies and employment, once further reforms are done. "The EU could be real for Turkey if necessary reforms are carried out," he added. Davutoglu told reporters that he had asked for France`s "active support" so that negotiations on a number of policy areas may start. He added that he has requested French support to push ahead a visa exemption deal with the bloc. "We want the same visa procedures applied to Turkey as were applied to the Balkans. Nothing more, nothing less," Davutoglu said. Complaining of "political barriers" meant to block Turkey`s EU membership, he cited the Cyprus problem as an example. Turkey and France also agreed to step up cooperation in fighting the terrorist PKK, with Kouchner calling the fight important. Saying that National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Hakan Fidan`s visit to Paris last week is a good sign that both countries are cooperating in this area, Kouchner said France will continue working decisively on the issue. "We support Turkey in this," he said. He also had talks with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit. Kouchner and Davutoglu also attended the opening of a new wing of Ankara`s Charles de Gaulle High School, which both said will help improve bilateral ties. Turkey and France also signed a declaration under which the number of Turkish imams in France will be raised from 121 to 151, while also extending their residence permits. The Foreign Ministry said the declaration will help meet the needs of France`s Turkish community and build understanding between the Turkish and French peoples. /Today`s Zaman/
DAVUTOGLU, BARZANI DISCUSS IRAQI GOVT CRISIS
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu this week told Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani that Iraq`s future government must include all groups in the country. A statement on Monday from the Iraqi Kurdish administration said Davutoglu and Barzani spoke on the phone about recent developments in efforts to form an Iraqi government coalition as well as ways to improve relations between Turkey and northern Iraq`s Kurdish administration. After seven months without a government since Iraq`s March elections, Turkey says it favors no group but only favors a broad-based coalition that includes all political forces in the country. /Today`s Zaman/
BAGIS URGES GERMANY`S TURKS TO LEARN THE LANGUAGE
Seeking to calm the immigration debate in Germany, State Minister and Chief EU Talks Negotiator Egemen Bagis yesterday called on the 2.5 million Turks living there to learn the language and integrate into society. "I ask all my Turkish compatriots and all Germans of Turkish origin: Learn German. Adapt to the customs and conventions of your adopted country," Bagis told Bild daily. "You should not give up the gift of your identity and your culture, but should consider yourselves ambassadors for Turkey. Only in this way can you build bridges for a better friendship and partnership between our countries." Deputy German Foreign Minister Werner Hoyer praised Bagis`s remarks as showing a "genuinely European engagement." /Hurriyet Daily News/
PARLIAMENT DEBATES TERRORISM, RENEWS CROSS-BORDER MANDATE
In a closed session on terrorism yesterday, Interior Minister Besir Atalay briefed Parliament on the government`s anti-terror measures and recent developments in this area. Parliament was also set to renew for one year the government`s mandate to engage in military operations against the terrorist PKK in northern Iraq. The motion, set to expire on Sunday, was first passed in 2007 and has been extended twice, in 2008 and 2009. Bekir Bozdag, the ruling Justice and Development Party`s (AK Party) parliamentary group deputy chairman, said he was hopeful that Parliament would reach a consensus on how to tackle the terrorism problem. "If the opposition is sincere, it could contribute to the process by actively engaging in the debate," he said. "I also hope the government will take into account the concerns raised by other parties." An overwhelming majority of deputies, except those of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), favor the extension. Bozdag said extending the mandate would send a clear message that Turkey will consider military operations against PKK bases in northern Iraq if necessary. /Today`s Zaman/
UN ENVOY TO PAKISTAN LINKS APPOINTMENT TO TRUST IN TURKEY
Turkey is the country best placed to help flood-stricken Pakistanis, and the UN chose a Turkish envoy to the country with that in mind, said Turkish diplomat Rauf Engin Soysal yesterday, recently appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to be the UN`s new special envoy for assistance to Pakistan. The UN`s decision was motivated by the belief that a Turkish envoy could truly look after the country, he said, linking his appointment to Pakistan`s love and trust of Turkey. "Turkish ambassadors have always had a special place in the eyes of Pakistanis. The image of Turkey is one which is close to Pakistanis," he said. The proposal for Soysal`s appointment came from the UN side and was personally favored by both Ban and Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters in New York late last month. Soysal is also Turkey`s representative in the group of special representatives for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and served as ambassador to Pakistan from January 2007 to July 2009. He was a well-known ambassador in Pakistan and was liked by Pakistani officials. Soysal said "a global effort" is needed to see Pakistan through the flood disaster and that he could help that. Saying that he first served in Pakistan in the wake of the terrible 2005 earthquake, Soysal said he would be effective at his post, as he knows numerous Pakistani officials from his earlier tenure. Soysal worked in the field following the earthquake and personally took part in the distribution of humanitarian relief. /Today`s Zaman/
US-TURKISH GROUP TO HOLD CONFERENCE NEXT WEEK
The American-Turkish Council (ATC) is scheduled to hold its annual conference on ties between the two nations in Washington early next week. The conference, originally planned for April, was postponed in the wake of the US House of Representatives` Foreign Affairs Committee`s passage of an Armenian "genocide" resolution, but the resolution never got a vote on the House floor. Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be keynote speakers at the conference. Other participants include State Minister for Foreign Trade Zafer Caglayan, US National Security Advisor James Jones, US Export-Import Bank head Fred Hochberg, Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman, and Murad Bayar, Turkey`s undersecretary for defense industries. The ATC, whose members include top US and Turkish companies doing business in both countries, aims to bolster US-Turkish political and economic relations at the 29th annual conference. The conference also comes amid tensions with the US over Ankara`s ties with Iran and Israel, while Ankara has been without an American ambassador for nearly three months. /Hurriyet Daily News/
BUSINESS GROUP PRAISES MEDIUM-TERM PROGRAM
The Turkish Industrialists` and Businessmen`s Association (TUSIAD) yesterday welcomed the announcement of the government`s medium-term program. TUSIAD Chair Umit Boyner told at a conference in Istanbul that the move helps to dispel uncertainties concerning the next three years. "The downward revision of the budget deficit projections from 50 billion TL to 44 billion TL and the downward revisions of future projections after 2011 have eased concerns over budget stability," she said. Boyner called for further improvements in the climate for foreign direct investments. Turkey`s industrial model should be reinforced with structural reforms and its effectiveness and competitiveness should be sharpened to deal with the high current account deficit, she said, adding that short-term macroeconomic policies won`t suffice. Boyner also urged Parliament to adopt the Turkish Code of Commerce (TTK) as soon as possible, calling on the government to cut red tape. These structural measures should put the economy on a growth track, and will get business support, she said. /Hurriyet Daily News/
US PUBLIC DIPLOMACY CHIEF: "TURKEY`S FALSE IMAGE IS A THING OF THE PAST"
In the eyes of the American people, Turkey is no longer the country falsely portrayed by movies such as "Midnight Express," US State Department Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Judith McHale said in an interview yesterday. The infamous 1978 movie, presenting a highly fictionalized story of a young American imprisoned in Turkey for drug smuggling, painted Turkey as an undemocratic, underdeveloped country with little regard for human rights violations, and damaged Turkey`s reputation worldwide. But McHale said Turkey has shaken off this false image, saying, "Everyone is aware of the strategic and critical role that Turkey plays in a difficult region." Stating that Turkey has emerged stronger from the global economic crisis, drawing praise for its remarkable economic performance and major industrial investments in recent years, she said, "Turkey is a highly important country in one the world`s toughest regions. It plays both a critical and vital role. That`s why we`re making efforts to better understand Turkey." The US largely supports the role that Turkey plays in this region, she added. Stating that President Barack Obama kept his word in withdrawing combat troops from Iraq, McHale said, "The continuation of our partnership with the Iraqi people, as well as our cooperation with Turkey on Iraq, carries great importance. Turkey plays a very critical role in Iraq. The US wants to continue working with Turkey to strengthen Iraq." Asked about the US` poor image in Turkey, especially since the Iraq war, only 14 percent positive in recent polls, McHale said such polls can be misleading, urging, "Instead we should see the bigger picture, the fundamental and indispensable partnership between our countries." She added, "I`m here to remedy this situation . There are many factors that affect the findings of opinion polls. Our diplomats maintain close communication with thousands of Turks. I`ve had talks as well. For me, such polls don`t reflect the real perception of the US among ordinary Turkish citizens. The current atmosphere, I believe, stems from the reaction to certain US policies." Stating that the US has several programs to improve relations with the Turkish people, McHale added, "We want to bring young filmmakers and entrepreneurs from the two countries closer to each other. We`re going to increase dialogue with the Turkish people. We`re launching projects to help us better understand each other." /Sabah/