PROTESTS DURING IRAN VISIT PUT GUL IN TIGHT SPOT

President Abdullah Gul’s first official visit to Iran this week coincided with a protest rally in which one person was killed and dozens were wounded, leaving him in a difficult position over what stance to take. Gul – who met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani to discuss ties – said on Monday that governments in the Middle East should listen to the demands of their people, but made no reference to Iran. "When leaders and heads of countries do not pay attention to the demands of their nations, the people themselves take action to achieve their demands," he said at a joint news conference alongside Ahmadinejad, commenting on recent popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Later in the day, during a late-night meeting with Turkish journalists, Gul again avoided directly commenting on the Iranian rallies held in support of the Egyptian and Tunisian protests. When the reporters said cell phone networks and Internet connections were down due to restrictions imposed by Iranian authorities to prevent the spread of the demonstrations, Gul did appear to criticize the restrictions, saying: "Cell phone networks can be shut down, but television shows everything. Actions that run counter to the will of the people should be avoided." Gul’s official delegation was also impacted by the restrictions, and essential communication with the Foreign Ministry and Gul’s office in Ankara was conducted through a telegraph service at the Turkish Embassy in Tehran. The protests appeared to have ended yesterday, with life back to normal in Tehran’s streets and other cities. /Today’s Zaman/

ERDOGAN, PROUD OF STANCE AGAINST EGYPT’S MUBARAK, SLAMS OPPOSITION

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday declared he was proud to be one of the first to loudly urge Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak to leave his post, but also expressed anger toward those who criticized his "impetuous" stance. "We are proud before the people of Egypt with our dignified, self-respecting and principled stance. We rightfully share Egypt’s excitement," Erdogan told his deputies at a parliamentary group meeting. Erdogan was the first foreign leader to call for Mubarak to heed his people’s demands to step down to pave the way for a more democratic regime. Erdogan yesterday again criticized Mubarak, noting that Egypt had closed its border with Gaza, exacerbating Gazans’ suffering. "Egypt’s problems are our problems. Some words suggest themselves, but I can’t say them due to sensitivities," he added. Erdogan said Turkey wants Egypt to establish a constitutional democracy and enter a new pluralist political era. Erdogan also again proposed an international conference to collect donations for the people of Egypt. "Turkey is ready to contribute to Egypt’s development and a bright future in peace and stability," he said. /Hurriyet Daily News/

FM DAVUTOGLU HEADING TO NEPAL, INDIA THIS WEEK

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will visit Nepal and India this week to attend multilateral meetings, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Davutoglu is set to depart for Nepal tomorrow to hold talks with Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal, the term president of the United Nations General Assembly for Least-Developed Countries (LDC). The ministry said Turkish and Nepalese officials will review preparations for the fourth LDC conference, set to take place in Istanbul this May. Davutoglu then will travel to India to attend a conference on cooperation between the LDC and developed countries. /Hurriyet Daily News/

RESISTING LONGER VISIT, FRENCH PRESIDENT TO MAKE BRIEF STOPOVER IN TURKEY

French President Nicolas Sarkozy next week will come to Ankara for only a six-hour visit even though "the Turkish side wanted him to stay longer," according to a Turkish diplomat, who also urged the European Union to wake up and find a way to revive deadlocked talks. Sarkozy, a vocal opponent of Turkey’s accession to the EU, will visit Ankara on Feb. 25 for just "five or six hours," according to the diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous. "It is completely a working visit dealing only with G-20 issues," the diplomat said about Sarkozy, the current G-20 chairman. "Actually, we would like him to stay longer… We had wanted a longer visit, but it seems that he wants to have a very short visit." Despite this, diplomatic sources said there would be enough time to talk about other issues. The French leader will not be accompanied by his wife, Carla Bruni. /Hurriyet Daily News/

GEORGIA PROPOSES EU-LIKE UNION FOR THE CAUCASUS IN TALKS WITH TURKEY

Georgia’s president over the weekend urged Turkey to help realize the unification of the Southern Caucasus, but without Russia or Iran in the alliance. "The emergence of a united Caucasus is my aspiration," Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili reportedly told Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu during their meeting in Tbilisi on Saturday, the Georgian Presidency’s press office said. Saakashvili reportedly expressed his belief in the concept of "open borders" across the region, saying this idea is already being discussed with the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides. The Georgian president also proposed a similar project during Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Georgia last year, but experts had little hope that it would be realized. Three countries in the South Caucasus established a federation following the 1917 revolution in Russia, but the union soon fell apart as Azerbaijan opposed going to war against the Ottomans at the time. Following the chaotic collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan and Armenia also fought a full-scale armed conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan has resisted, thus far, cooperation with Armenia unless the country withdraws its troops from occupied territories. "There is a long way to materialization of the current idea, yet this is a positive proposed step," Saakashvili said, underlining the importance of an initiative enabling citizens of both Turkey and Georgia to travel with only state identity cards. Turkey proposed a similar initiative in 2008 following the August war between Georgia and Russia over the breakaway South Ossetia region, but Turkey said Russia should also be in the Caucasus Cooperation and Stability Platform. /Today’s Zaman/

TURKEY’S ZIRAAT BANKASI OPENS BRANCH IN ERBIL, NORTHERN IRAQ

State-run Ziraat Bankasi on Monday opened a branch in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil. Ziraat Bank, the first Turkish bank to open a branch in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, followed this with another branch in Erbil, the bank said yesterday. The statement said, in line with the recently rising business volume between Turkey and northern Iraq, Ziraat Bank would actively take part both in financing Turkish companies’ investments in this region and in intermediation activities for foreign trade transactions between Turkey and Iraq. /Aksam/