AFTER ERBAKAN’S FUNERAL, ERDOGAN FACING TOUGH EU MISSION THIS WEEK
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to meet today with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and travel to Brussels tomorrow for talks with European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. But speaking shortly before leaving for Germany, Erdogan said he would first return to Istanbul on Tuesday for the funeral of Necmettin Erbakan, Turkey’s first Islamist prime minister and his onetime mentor, before proceeding to Brussels. In Dusseldorf Erdogan was set to meet with Turks living in Germany before making a speech at the opening of the Turkish-German Economic Congress and inaugurating the CeBIT technology fair with Merkel today. In Brussels, Erdogan is set to hold talks with Barroso over Turkey’s struggling bid to join the EU. Since Turkey and the EU began official accession talks in 2005, progress has stalled due to Ankara’s refusal to open its ports to shipping from member Greek Cyprus as well as stiff opposition from the bloc’s major members Germany and France. It remains unclear if Erdogan’s visit to Brussels, the first since 2009, will help revive the negotiations. France is blocking the opening of five chapters in Turkey’s accession negotiations, while Brussels froze eight chapters in response to Ankara’s failure to open its ports to Greek Cyprus. Erdogan’s trip comes as Turkey appears unenthusiastic to press for new EU reforms ahead of general elections set for June. /Hurriyet Daily News/
DAVUTOGLU, CLINTON SET TO MEET ON SIDELINES OF GENEVA MEETING
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is expected to meet today with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Geneva, according to a senior Turkish diplomat. Davutoglu will participate in a regular session of the UN Human Rights Council to be attended by foreign ministers and other senior officials from dozens of nations. He is expected to hold separate talks on the sidelines with Clinton about the latest developments in the Middle East, Turkey’s evacuation of its own and foreign citizens from Libya, and his talks over Iran’s nuclear program while in Tehran with President Abdullah Gul earlier this month. "The Libyan crisis and other issues that concern the Middle East region will be discussed at the meeting," the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Geneva meeting comes after the UN Security Council imposed sanctions against Moammar Gaddafi in a new bid to halt the crisis and loss of lives in Libya while ordering an investigation into his crackdown on opponents. Turkey, however, opposed the sanctions, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning that innocents would suffer. Diplomatic sources said there might not be enough time during the Geneva meeting to discuss the sanctions on Libya. Davutoglu is also expected to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as well as his counterparts from Britain and France on the sidelines of the meeting. /Hurriyet Daily News/
AHEAD OF YILDIZ VISIT, ENERGY NEGOTIATORS IN RUSSIA
A group of government technical experts is now in Russia taking part in negotiations and other work, said Energy Minister Taner Yildiz in an interview yesterday, ahead of a visit there next month. "We’ll discuss developments in oil and natural gas. We’ll talk about gas prices," he added. /Star/
LIBYA SANCTIONS PASSED OVER ANKARA’S OBJECTIONS
Turkey’s objections to sanctions on Libya fizzled as the UN Security Council slapped sweeping sanctions on the country Saturday in response to Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi’s deadly crackdown on ongoing anti-government protests. The debate over sanctions has set Turkey, which has large investments in Libya and many citizens working there, in opposition to much of the rest of the world. On Saturday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the UN Security Council not to impose sanctions, warning that the Libyan people, rather than Gaddafi’s government, would suffer the most. "The people are already struggling to find food, so how will you feed the Libyan people?" Erdogan asked in a televised speech in Ankara. "Sanctions, an intervention, would push the Libyan people, who are already up against hunger and violence, into a more desperate situation. We call on the international community to act with conscience, justice, laws and universal human values – not out of concerns over oil." But shortly thereafter, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to impose an arms embargo and urged UN member countries to freeze the assets of Gaddafi, four of his sons and a daughter. Before the Security Council resolution passed, Erdogan and US President Barack Obama discussed ways to respond to the Libyan crisis. "The president and the prime minister expressed their deep concern about the Libyan government’s use of violence against its people, which is completely unacceptable, and discussed appropriate and effective ways for the international community to immediately respond," the White House said after the conversation late Friday, making no mention of sanctions. /Hurriyet Daily News/
FULE: "TURKEY IS AN INSPIRATION FOR NORTH AFRICA COUNTRIES"
Turkey is a fine example and an inspiration for North Africa countries, said European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule ahead of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Brussels this week, and amid sweeping changes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Austrian daily Salzburger Nachrichten reported that Fule regrets Turkey’s increasing disillusionment about the EU and has concerns about the general elections this June. Fule also stressed that both Turkey and the EU play a significant role in supporting Middle East countries’ ongoing reform process. /Aksam/
NAVAL FORCES SHIPS CONTINUE EVACUATING TURKISH NATIONALS, FOREIGNERS FROM LIBYA
Over 1,200 Turks and 500 foreign citizens were evacuated from Libya by the Turkish Naval forces over the weekend. The TCG Orucreis, a Naval Forces Command Personnel Transport Ship, arrived in the Turkish port of Marmaris after a 30-hour journey from Benghazi. The frigate carried 212 passengers, including 90 foreigners. Another frigate, the TCG Iskenderun, also arrived in Marmaris from Benghazi. A total of 1,221 passengers from both frigates are Turkish citizens, while the remaining 517 are from 25 different countries. /Aksam/