MGK to discuss Iraq and Cyprus

TAT-ANKARA
In the MGK meeting today, the outcomes of the recent Iraqi and TRNC elections will be discussed. Turkish-US relations and possible developments in the Mideast will also come up.
The National Security Council (MGK) will be meeting today to discuss Iraq's first democratic elections since the U.S. invasion and their outcome. The recent elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and their outcome will also be discussed.
The MGK will meet under the chairmanship of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Committee member ministers and military members will gather at the Cankaya Presidential Palace at 1:00 p.m. According to the MGK secretary-general, the meeting's special agenda consists of “the condition of Iraq's Turkmen and possible developments in Iraq after the elections.” Besides the MGK secretary-general, the military wing of the committee and the Foreign Ministry are also expected to make presentations.
Possible government scenarios in the wake of the TRNC polls and the future of Cyprus and Turkish-U.S. relations will also be discussed.
The recent assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Harriri and friction between Washington, on one hand, and Iran and Syria, on the other, will also come up for discussion, in light of possible future developments in the Middle East. U.S. requests to use Incirlik Airbase near Adana as a "logistical hub" are also expected to be examined.
Before the meeting, the committee's military wing yesterday gathered at General Staff headquarters under the chairmanship of Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok. In this preliminary meeting, the recently passed student pardon law was discussed, and whether it means that expelled headscarved students have a new right to education. Also discussed were former Culture and Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu's resignation from both his post and the ruling party, as well as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent controversial comments in a German newspaper. The wing decided to soft pedal these issues rather than making harsh warnings.