ERDOGAN: "TURKEY WILL NEVER BE A COUNTRY POINTING GUNS AT LIBYANS"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday made it clear that Turkey will not send combat forces to fight Libyans and expressed his opposition to the ongoing military campaign by Western powers, saying any foreign intervention in Libya should be humanitarian and nothing else and under the UN umbrella. "Turkey will never be a country pointing guns at Libyans," Erdogan told a meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Parliament. "We have been in touch with parties in Libya since the events first started. We’ve been in touch with both sides." He added, "We acted with maximum sensitivity to ensure that the transition in Libya was completed without bloodshed, as happened in Egypt and Tunisia. Unfortunately, this was not achieved. Of course we question and criticize the Paris summit (last weekend where the operation was decided on). The umbrella for humanitarian operations in Libya should be the United Nations. The operation should be run on legitimate grounds."
DAVUTOGLU: "BAHRAIN’S REFORM PROCESS IN SHOULD BE STRENGTHENED"
The reform process in Bahrain should be strengthened and completed without any harm coming to civilians, said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday. "We hope stability in Bahrain is maintained by preserving its territorial integrity and sovereignty," Davutoglu told a joint press conference in Ankara alongside his Bahraini counterpart Khalid bin Ahmad bin Muhammad Al Khalifa. "Turkey wants everybody to live in peace in Bahrain irrespective of their creed or sect." Davutoglu also stressed the importance of protecting civilians, saying there should be no confrontations between civilians and security forces.
OPPOSITION LEADER KILICDAROGLU CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE END TO LIBYA OPERATIONS
Finding common ground with the government, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu yesterday called on international forces to cease their military intervention, praising Ankara’s stance on the Libyan crisis, including its calls for democracy and not intervening for the sake of oil. But Kilicdaroglu warned that Turkey’s foreign policy is leaving it increasingly isolated, as it was not invited to last weekend’s international meeting in Paris where military action on Libya was decided on. "Turkey was bypassed." he said.
BAGIS CRITICIZES SARKOZY OVER LIBYAN CAMPAIGN
State Minister and Chief European Union Talks Negotiator Egemen Bagis yesterday criticized French President Nicolas Sarkozy, without mentioning his name, for his role in starting the military campaign in Libya. Speaking in Ankara to the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB), Bagis said a leader of a European Union country "tried to begin a process against another country which was not in line with international laws," referring to last weekend’s meeting in Paris, where Sarkozy and other world leaders decided to take military action against Libya. "He acted before any NATO decision, and his act was based on his subjective evaluation of a United Nations resolution," added Bagis.
OBAMA THANKS TURKEY FOR AIDING IN RELEASE OF NY TIMES JOURNALISTS
Speaking on the phone on Monday with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the Libyan crisis, US President Barack Obama thanked Turkey for aiding in the release of four New York Times journalists who had been detained in Libya during fighting between government and rebel forces. "The president expressed appreciation for Turkey’s ongoing humanitarian efforts in Libya, including its assistance in facilitating the release and safe passage to Tunisia of four New York Times journalists who had been detained in Libyan custody," the White House said of the conversation initiated by Obama.
TOP NATO COMMANDER DUE IN TURKEY TOMORROW
NATO’s top commander, Adm. James Stavridis, is scheduled to visit Ankara tomorrow after Turkey made clear that it would oppose the alliance taking over enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya if the scope of the operation goes beyond what the United Nations sanctioned. The visit by Stavridis, the supreme allied commander Europe, also comes after NATO tried again yesterday to resolve a fractious debate over who should command the military campaign in Libya once the US steps back from leading the operation
RICCIARDONE: "THE US IS INTERESTED IN TURKEY’S JUNE GENERAL ELECTIONS"
The United States is interested in June’s Turkish parliamentary elections, but it supports Turkey in general and not any specific party, said US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone on Monday. Following a closed-door meeting in Ankara with main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Ricciardone told reporters that the meeting was a courtesy visit, adding that he would meet with other party leaders as well. He said the US doesn’t support any specific Turkish political party but does support Turkey. He also said his meeting with Kilicdaroglu had been good and that they discussed a variety of subjects, including developments in Europe, the Middle East and Iran. Asked about his views on Turkey’s opposition to the operation in Libya, Ricciardone said the two countries should cooperate, that the US and Turkey are working together in NATO, and that the most important thing is maintaining the safety of the Libyan people. Asked what Turkey might be expected to do to regarding a possible NATO operation in Libya, Ricciardone said he could not give details but that officials from both the US and Turkey are meeting in Brussels to discuss Libya.
NYT THANKS TURKEY FOR SECURING JOURNALISTS’ RELEASE IN LIBYA, CRITICIZES PRESS FREEDOM RECORD
The New York Times on Monday thanked the Turkish government for intervening to help secure the release of four of its journalists detained in Libya but also criticized Turkey’s record of press freedom. "Turkey, which helped our journalists so effectively, has a bad record when it comes to reporters at home," said the Times in an editorial. Citing a Committee to Protect Journalists report saying that 852 journalists have been killed worldwide over the last 20 years, the paper added, "That, in a tragic way, has always been the risk of covering war. But journalists also are increasingly targets of repressive governments in Russia, Mexico, and the Philippines and now in the Middle East."