BUSH CALLS SEZER ON IRAQ ISSUE
US President George W. Bush yesterday made a telephone call to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer focusing on the two countries’ respective views on the Iraq issue. The conversation followed recent calls to the leaders of France, Russia and China in a buildup to Bush’s Thursday speech to the United Nations General Assembly, in which he is expected to try to make the case for military intervention in Iraq. Bush emphasized his resolve to continue consultations with close US friend and ally Turkey and also his high regard for Turkey’s views. Sezer, for his part, laid out in detail Turkey’s own stance on the Iraq issue. In addition, he stressed Turkey’s desire to boost its economic and commercial ties with the US. /Hurriyet/
YILMAZ PUSHES EU LAW IMPLEMENTATION WITH CIVIL GROUPS
Deputy Prime Minister and the Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz held a meeting yesterday with representatives of civil organisations to discuss their possible contribution to Turkey’s European Union membership bid. In a press conference before the meeting, Yilmaz told reporters that the necessary regulations would be completed and enacted by the end of the month to ensure full implementation of the EU harmonisation laws passed earlier this summer. Yilmaz also criticised senior coalition partner the Nationalist Action Party (MHP) for requesting constitutional review of these laws, stressing that the reforms were binding on all three partners of the coalition government. Commenting on Turkey’s chances of getting a date at December’s Copenhagen summit in December for the start of its accession negotiations with the EU, Yilmaz said that Turkey should snap out of its euphoria over the adoption of the EU laws and that civil groups should coordinate their lobbying activities. /Cumhuriyet/
TURKEY TO OPEN NEW BORDER GATE TO SYRIA
Turkey is planning to open a new border gate to Syria at the southeastern Anatolian city of Akcakale, officials announced yesterday. The new gate is intended to re-channel trade currently conducted through the Habur Gate with northern Iraq in favor of new routes through Syria and Iran. /Cumhuriyet/
CHP MEMBERS VISITS ATATURK’S MAUSOLEUM
Celebrating the 79th anniversary of their party’s foundation, members of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) headed by their leader Deniz Baykal yesterday visited Anitkabir, Ataturk’s mausoleum, in Ankara. After laying a wreath at the tomb of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder and first leader of the CHP, the members then visited the resting place of Ismet Inonu, the party’s second leader. /Turkiye/
CEM VISITS GROUP FOR DISABLED
New Turkey Party (YTP) leader Ismail Cem yesterday visited the Ankara headquarters of the Federation for the Disabled, a nongovernmental organization, to lay out his party’s platform on the handicapped. “After November’s elections, the YTP hopes to work with the federation to put together new government policies on the disabled,” said Cem. “We also hope we can work to apply these policies together.” Faruk Oztimur, the federation’s chairman, said that a failure on Turkey’s part to respect and accommodate its handicapped citizens could hinder the country’s European Union membership bid. /Milliyet/
YTP, DTP DECIDE AGAINST ALLIANCE
Ismail Cem and Mehmet Ali Bayar, the respective leaders of the New Turkey Party (YTP) and the Democratic Turkey Party (DTP), yesterday announced that their parties had been unable to reach agreement on an alliance for this November’s elections. Following this development, DTP officials started negotiations with the True Path Party (DYP) towards a possible alliance. A decision on such an alliance is expected from the DTP today. /Milliyet/
SHP TO ALLY ENTER ALLIANCE WITH HADEP, ODP
Officials from the Social Democratic People’s Party (SHP), the People’s Democracy Party (HADEP) and the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ODP) yesterday said that they had overcome hurdles standing in the way of their forming an alliance for November’s elections. The parties are to form a joint committee to draw up their common programs as well as to allocate spots on common candidate lists. /Milliyet/
RESIGNATIONS, PARTY SWITCHES CONTINUE
True Path Party (DYP) Giresun Deputy Rasim Zaimoglu and Motherland Party (ANAP) Bursa Deputy Turhan Tayan yesterday resigned from their respective parties. Zaimoglu is expected to join ANAP, while Tayan to join the DYP. In addition, former Democratic Left Party (DSP) Aydin Deputy Ertugrul Mumcuoglu joined the Nationalist Action Party’s (MHP) ranks in a ceremony held yesterday. This brings the number of deputies in Parliament of the concerned parties as follows: 84 in the DYP, 68 in ANAP, and 126 in the MHP. /Turkiye/
MHP APPLIES TO CONSTITUTIONAL COURT TO ANNUL EU LAWS
The Nationalist Action Party (MHP) applied to the Constitutional Court yesterday to annul the four articles in the European Union harmonization law package which Parliament passed this summer. Remarking that Turkey wanted to establish an “honorable cooperation” with the EU, MHP leader and Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli claimed that Turkey had yet to see any positive response from the EU in return for its recent important steps taken on the road towards EU membership. “The EU has continually undermined Turkey’s efforts through statements saying that we haven’t done enough,” Bahceli said. “Thus Turkey has unfortunately been met by a position which it in no way deserves.” /Turkiye/
EUROPEAN COUNCIL CONGRATULATES TURKEY
The European Council’s Council of Ministers yesterday expressed its congratulations to Turkey for Parliament’s passage of legislation this summer abolishing the death penalty. Turkey’s permanent representative to the council, Ambassador Numan Hazar, had officially told the ministers of Parliament’s historic action. Hazar also stated that with the reforms, Turkey was now ready to sign the sixth protocol of the European Convention of Human Rights. /Cumhuriyet/
NATO DELEGATION INSPECTS AIR BASES IN TURKEY
A statement released yesterday by the General Secretariat of the Office of the Chief of General Staff said that recent activities of a NATO delegation at Turkey’s NATO airbases were merely routine procedure, known as base exploration, and were not related to United States preparations to intervene in Iraq. The statement explained that this procedure was carried out every year by NATO to determine the infrastructure facilities needed on the bases. /Cumhuriyet/
CENTRAL BANK: “TARGETED INFLATION RATE IS ACHIEVABLE”
In a statement released yesterday, the Central Bank said that this year’s year-end inflation rate of 35% was “very likely” achievable. “Determined implementation of the economic program should maintain the inflation slowdown into next year,” the statement added. However, the bank warned, rises in the price of crude oil could endanger this target. /Star/
WASHINGTON MEETING TO DISCUS CASPIAN, CAUCASIAN ENERGY ISSUES
Energy and Natural Resources Undersecretary Yurdakul Yigitguden and Turkish Ambassador to Washington Alev Kilic are scheduled today to begin a two-day meeting with US officials on Caspian Basin and Caucasian energy policies. At the meeting, they are set to discuss both Turkish and US policies in the regions with US Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones and Steven R. Mann, senior US advisor for Caspian basin energy diplomacy. /Star/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION