ERDOGAN MEETS WITH CHENEY
Following talks with US President George W. Bush yesterday in the White House, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Vice President Dick Cheney. During their half-hour meeting, bilateral trade relations between the two countries were taken up. Afterwards, speaking to reporters, Erdogan said that Cheney was interested in the Baku-Ceyhan-Tbilisi oil pipeline project and attached great importance to it. Cheney reportedly welcomed Erdogan’s invitation for a visit to Turkey. The Turkish premier also attended a reception held by the Turkish-US Interparliamentary Friendship Group at the US Congress and met with think-tank members, journalists and opinion leaders. Later he met with representatives from the Assembly of Turkish-American Associations (ATAA). Early in the evening, Erdogan proceeded to New York. /Star/
ERDOGAN, ANNAN DISCUSS CYPRUS ISSUE
After completing his contacts in Washington, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday left for New York to hold a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in the company of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and State Minister Ali Babacan as well as Turkey’s Ambassador to the UN Baki Ilkin. Their one-hour talks focused on the Cyprus and Iraq issues. Annan told reporters that his goodwill efforts for a settlement on Cyprus would continue. For his part, pointing to Annan’s May 28 Cyprus report, which was represented last week to the Security Council, Erdogan said that Ankara regretted that no decision had yet been made on the report. He also urged Annan to make efforts to end the international isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Later, meeting with a group of representatives from local Turkish groups, the Turkish premier delivered a speech at a banquet of the Foreign Policy Association. /Turkiye/
DEMOCRACY AND GLOBAL SECURITY CONFERENCE BEGINS IN ISTANBUL
A three-day “Democracy and Global Security Conference” yesterday opened with a speech delivered live by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan via satellite in front of the US Capitol building in Washington. “Turkey was able to combine the culture of democracy and the culture of Islam,” he said. “This achievement is very important. In addition, Turkey is an exemplary country which can undertake the duty of being a bridge to the Far East and Middle East.” Meanwhile, during a round-table meeting on “Religion and Terrorism” at the conference, religious representatives criticized people who try to link religion and terrorism. Religious Affairs Directorate head Ali Bardakoglu said, “Religious scholars should stand against all unfair treatment.” Turkish Armenians Patriarch Mesrob II said that terror should be condemned. Speaking on the PKK terrorist group, Directorate General of Security head said, “I don’t believe there is any other terrorist group which receives the clandestine help of various countries which we call our neighbors.” Middle East Technical University’s (METU) Yusuf Ziya Ozcan said that 97,000 people had died during the terrorist attacks of 1979-2004, and 33,000 people were victims of terrorism in 1984-2004 in Turkey, and that the PKK was responsible for most of these losses. Meanwhile, though it said it would participate in the conference on an official level, Greece has yet to send a representative. /Milliyet/
AKP DEPUTY ARRIVES IN ARMENIA
Turhan Comez, a deputy from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), yesterday went to Armenia with a delegation of 12 upon the invitation of a number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and parliamentarians from this country. Speaking before his departure, Comez said that they aimed to help developing relations with Armenia. Comez added that he would present a conference on “Turkish-Armenian Relations from Turkish Deputies’ Point of View” at Yerevan University in Armenia and that he would also meet with Armenian Parliament speaker and certain deputies. /Aksam/
ANOTHER TURKISH TRUCK DRIVER KILLED IN IRAQ
Yusuf Akar (49), a Turkish truck driver in a convoy carrying goods for US troops in Iraq, was killed yesterday morning in Ramadi during an attack on the convoy by insurgents. /Sabah/
STUDENTS BEGIN SUMMER HOLIDAY
Some 14 million Turkish students from primary and secondary schools are completing their eight-month 2004-2005 education term today. After a three-month holiday, they will begin the 2005-2006 term on Sept. 12. /Star/
FIRST TRANCHE OF IMF LOAN MIGHT BE LATE
Turkish economy officials said yesterday that the enactment of banking and social security bills at Parliament, which are criteria for the completion of the first review of the Turkish economy as part of the new stand-by agreement, might be late this year and that therefore the IMF Executive Board meeting and the loan thranche for Turkey might be postponed to next month. Parliament’s recess might be delayed for this reason, the officials added. /Sabah/
SOROS MEETS WITH SABANCI
Famous speculator and investor George Soros yesterday met with Sabanci Holding Chairman Guler Sabanci. Speaking to journalists prior to the meeting held at Sakip Sabanci Museum in Istanbul, Sabanci said that there are a number of joint projects between Soros’ Open Society Institute and Sabanci University. In addition, he thanked Soros for the work carried out by this institution for the Turkish education system. /Sabah/
TESEV CHAIRMAN SPEAKS FOLLOWING SOROS’ VISIT
Speaking about the recent visit of famous speculator and investor George Soros to Turkey, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) Chairman Can Paker said yesterday that Soros believes Turkey should join the European Union. Saying that a “wise men” group made up of respectable European officials, including the former Finnish president, had toured all of Europe before last December’s landmark EU summit and had a major impact on its, Paker said, “We will establish an enlarged version of this group. They will tell the European public about the steps taken by Turkey. They will say important things in Europe including the things Turkey should watch.” Paker added that Soros had given financial support for the establishment of this group. /Milliyet/
ASPENDOS INTERNATIONAL OPERA AND BALLET FESTIVAL TO BEGIN TOMORROW
The 12th Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival will start tomorrow. This year three foreign groups will participate in the festival and open with the Petrushka and Firebird ballet by Igor Stravinsky to be performed by the Russian Opera and Ballet. The Antalya State Opera and Ballet, hosting the festival, won’t be able to participate in the festival this year for the first time. Eleven pieces will be performed at the festival in Antalya. /Cumhuriyet/