LEADERS MEET IN ANKARA TO DISCUSS CYPRUS ISSUE
A Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) delegation arrived in Ankara yesterday for two days of talks with Turkey’s top leaders on the Cyprus issue. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Deputy Premier Abdullatif Sener met with TRNC President Mehmet Ali Talat, Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer and Foreign Minister Serdar Denktas to discuss the Cyprus issue and to establish a new plan on it. During the three-hour gathering, the leaders agreed to make efforts aimed at ending the TRNC’s international isolation and urging Greek Cypriots to a settlement. Erdogan is expected to present the Turkish side’s view to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and US President George W. Bush during his US visit to begin next week. Before his departure for the US, Erdogan will also discuss the plan with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. /Star/
ERDOGAN MAKES REVISIONS TO CABINET
After a weekly meeting with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a long-waited revision to the Cabinet. Under the revision, State Minister Guldal Aksit was replaced by Istanbul Deputy Nimet Cubukcu, Trabzon Deputy Faruk Nafiz Ozak was named the new public works and housing minister in place of Zeki Ergezen, and Diyarbakir Deputy Mehmet Mehdi Eker became the new agriculture minister in place of Sami Guclu. Erdogan stated that he wanted to launch a new initiative in the government and thanked the exiting ministers for their service. He further stressed that the president had approved the new appointments and that the new ministers would begin their term in office today after the decision is published in the Official Gazette. /Aksam/
RICE, ASSELBORN VOICE SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S EU BID, EU CONSTITUTION
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that a Europe which includes Turkey and which is united around common values is in everybody’s interests. Following a European Union-US ministerial meeting in Washington with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, EU Term President Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn and EU Commissioner Benita Ferror-Waldner, Rice said, "A Europe that is outward-looking, not inward-looking, that is offering a European perspective and a European future to all of the democracies of Europe is extremely important to completing Europe's integration and Europe's unity. And that, of course, includes Turkey.” For his part, Asselborn said, “The next referendum [on the EU constitution] now will be in Luxembourg the 10th of July. This day will be very important because a lot of people will look to Luxembourg in Europe and even in other countries in the world. In Luxembourg, we know that more of Europe gave always more influence to our country and we hope that we can reverse this dynamic, this negative dynamic ... in Luxembourg we will reverse the situation, then we will have the next referendums in autumn and you will see that the cause is not yet lost." /Cumhuriyet/
MOLIVYATIS: “TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP PROCESS SHOULD CONTINUE”
Speaking at a press conference held by Greece’s Foreign Press Association yesterday, Greek Foreign Minister Petros Moliviatis said that results of referendums held in France and the Netherlands wouldn’t change Athens’ policy towards Ankara and that Turkey’s European Union membership bid should continue. Moliviatis added that Athens favored the EU’s enlargement and that Turkey’s EU membership negotiations would start on Oct. 3 as scheduled. He added that nobody within the EU has requested a change to this date. /Milliyet/
DUTCH LEADER: “WE SAID NO TO STOP TURKS JOINING THE EU”
Dutch populist leader Geert Wilders said yesterday that the rejection of the European Union Constitution at Wednesday’s referendum in the Netherlands was also a sign of opposition to Turks joining the EU. In an article published in Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Wilders said that he was very pleased with the Dutch rejection of the Constitution. Stressing that he favored a union of cooperation both in the economy and politics with countries free to decide, Wilders added that he was opposed to European governments approving the beginning of Turkey’s accession talks. /Star/
KANDOGAN REJOINS DYP
Denizli Deputy Ummet Kandogan, who resigned from the True Path Party (DYP) last month after being passed over for leadership positions, rejoined the party yesterday. The number of DYP seats in the Parliament thus rose to four. /Turkiye/
ANOTHER TRUCK DRIVER KILLED IN IRAQ
A Turkish truck driver was killed yesterday by insurgents in Iraq north of Baghdad, said Iraqi security officials. More than 100 Turks have been killed in Iraq since the US invasion. /Star/
BABACAN: “TURKEY WILL BEGIN ITS EU TALKS ON OCT. 3”
State Minister and newly appointed chief negotiator for Turkey’s European Union accession talks Ali Babacan said yesterday that Turkey would begin its EU accession talks on Oct. 3 as scheduled. Speaking at a conference of the Turkish-American Business Council at Istanbul’s Bogazici University, Babacan said that an important step before Turkey was to sign an additional customs protocol with new EU member countries. We are waiting for the bureaucratic procedures, and after their completion, we will sign it, said the state minister. Stressing that the road to the membership would not be easy, he added that in the middle- and long-term it would bear fruit. He added that the procedure was irreversible both in Turkey and the EU itself. US Ambassador to Ankara Eric Edelman also addressed the gathering. Sabah/