SEZER ATTENDS BAKU-TBILISI-CEYHAN GROUNDBREAKING
Construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Oil Pipeline began yesterday with a groundbreaking ceremony at the Sangacal terminal in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the attendance of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer along with his Azerbaijani and Georgian counterparts, Haydar Aliyev and Eduard Shevardnadze, respectively. Speaking at the ceremony, Sezer stated that BTC would decrease traffic in the Turkish Straits and so aid efforts to better safeguard the environment. This project will be a modern-day silk road, he remarked, adding that Kazakhstan’s Caspian port city Aktau would eventually be added to the pipeline, transforming the BTC into an ABTC. “Turkey will be a transit country for supplying oil to southern European countries,” concluded Sezer. /All Papers/
FOREIGN MINISTRY: “THE EU SHOULD SEE THINGS IN THEIR TRUE LIGHT”
Speaking yesterday to reporters on the prospect of Greek Cypriot accession into the EU, Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Dirioz said that the EU should “start seeing things in their true light.” Turkey has increasingly been urging the EU not to accept the Greek Cypriots as sole representatives of the island, while also trying to get the EU to determine a date, at December’s Copenhagen summit, for the start of accession negotiations with Turkey. It was reported yesterday that Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel would travel next week to Britain, France and the current holder of the EU term presidency, Denmark, in order to warn European officials that admitting the Greek Cypriots into the EU could have irrevocable consequences. In addition, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal will be going to Germany today to secure German support for Turkey’s EU membership bid. /Cumhuriyet/
YILMAZ: “TURKEY’S CHIEF GOAL IS TO OBTAIN A DATE FROM THE EU”
Deputy Prime Minister and Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yilmaz said yesterday that Turkey’s chief national goal was to obtain at December’s Copenhagen summit a date for European Union membership negotiations. “Turkey has never before gotten so close to the EU,” added Yilmaz. /Hurriyet/
EU PROGRESS REPORT ON CYPRUS READY FOR RELEASE
The European Commission, the European Union’s chief executive body, has completed the preparation of its Progress Report on Cyprus, to be released next month. According to reports, the document praises Greek Cypriot efforts to fulfill the EU accession criteria and states that there are no obstacles to Cypriot membership. Pointing out that the direct talks between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides to resolve the 38-year dispute on the island have so far been inconclusive, the report states that EU calls for conciliation had been ignored by Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas. The report also criticizes the Turkish government for allegedly frustrating efforts of Turkish Cypriot civil organizations to establish close links with the EU. /Cumhuriyet/
LANDABURU: “THE EU MIGHT NOT TO SET A DATE FOR TURKEY”
Eneko Landaburu, the European Commission’s director-general for enlargement, said yesterday that the EU would probably not give a date for Turkey to begin membership talks in the near future. Speaking to students at the Saint Louis and Louvain Universities in Brussels, Landaburu stated that he was worried about a crisis between Turkish officials and the EU during this December’s EU summit. “We haven’t yet made a decision on the matter, but it is highly probable that a date to start EU-Turkey membership negotiations won’t be set,” he said. Stressing that the EU wouldn’t start talks with a country without it implementing democratic rules in line with European standards, Landaburu said that for the time being, political life in Turkey still carried many uncertainties. He added that if the Cyprus issue were not resolved by December, this might cause problems for Turkey. Meanwhile, responding to Landaburu’s remarks, Jean-Christophe Filori, spokesman for the European Commission, stated that Landaburu’s statements reflected his own views, not that of EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen or other commission members. /Turkiye/
BAYKAL: “GETTING A DATE AT COPENHAGEN SUMMIT SEEMS UNLIKELY”
Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said yesterday that Turkey getting a date for European Union membership talks at December’s Copenhagen summit seemed to him a distant prospect. Speaking on television, Baykal evaluated his meetings with EU officials this week at the European Economic Forum in Austria. “Turkey’s EU membership isn’t in the hand, and isn’t even in the bush,” said Baykal. Stressing that the EU continually used excuses and pretexts to hold off Turkey, Baykal said it was vital that a strong, one-party government take power after November’s elections. “Turkey needs a powerful government not only to overcome its economic difficulties, but also to realize its goal of EU membership,” he added. /Turkiye/
IRAQI OPPOSITION GROUPS TO MEET IN TURKEY
Several Iraqi opposition groups are due to meet next week in Avanos, a town in Turkey’s Cappadocia region. During the four-day meeting, the groups, among them the Iraq National Congress (INC), the Iraqi National Accord (INA) and the Supreme Court of Islamic Revolution (SCIRI), are expected to discuss the future of Iraq and, in particular, the fate of Kirkuk, an oil-rich city in northern Iraq. /Aksam/
TURKEY PLEASED WITH US INVITATION OF TURKMEN GROUPS TO IRAQI OPPOSITION MEETING
Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Dirioz yesterday told a press conference of Turkey’s satisfaction with the action of US officials inviting Turkmen groups to the next Iraqi opposition meeting in Washington. Stating that Turkey believed that decisions regarding the future of Iraq should be made by all native opposition groups, Dirioz said, “That’s why Turkey places a high premium on the Turkmen groups’ participation in the next Washington meeting.” He also reiterated that Turkey supported Iraq’s territorial integrity. Iraqi Turkmen Front Washington Coordinator Orhan Ketene is to represent the Turkmen opposition at the meeting to be chaired by Marc Grossman, US assistant secretary of state. /Cumhuriyet/
CEM: “THE YTP WON’T PARTICIPATE ANYMORE IN ATTEMPTS TO POSTPONE ELECTIONS”
New Turkey Party (YTP) leader Ismail Cem said yesterday that his party wouldn’t participate any longer in attempts to postpone elections scheduled for Nov. 3. “We won’t try to postpone elections anymore, because the political parties which had been working to lower the 10% election threshold have now retreated,” said Cem. “YTP deputies wanted to lower the threshold to 5%, but other parties have abandoned the effort.” He charged that the issue had been exploited by certain political parties, but declined to specify which. “The YTP doesn’t need to worry about passing 10% election threshold, and it is continuing to determinedly pursue its course,” added Cem. /Milliyet/
GUREL MEETS WITH US DEFENSE UNDERSECRETARY WOLFOWITZ
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel yesterday met with United States Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz in Washington. After an half-hour bilateral meeting between the two ministers, an accompanying Turkish delegation and US officials held another gathering where they discussed recent developments on the Iraq issue as well as Turkish-US relations. US Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith also attended the latter meeting. /Cumhuriyet/
BREKK: “ADDITIONAL LOANS DEPEND ON NEW GOVERNMENT’S STANCE”
International Monetary Fund Turkey Representative Odd Per Brekk said yesterday that Turkey was continuing its successful implementation of its economic program. He added that the need for additional loan tranches next year would depend on the stance of the new government to be formed after this November’s elections. “The economic program is going well, and this is also positively affecting Turkey’s economic performance,” said Brekk. “We hope the new government will also carry out the economic program with the same degree of responsibility.” Brekk also stated that all of Turkey’s political parties had announced their intention to continue implementing the current program, which he termed a “positive development.” Brekk added that an IMF delegation would soon come to Turkey in order to review the program’s progress. /Milliyet/
WORLD BANK DELEGATION MEETS WITH TURKISH BANKING REPRESENTATIVES
A World Bank delegation which arrived in Turkey last week held a meeting in Istanbul yesterday with the Turkish Union of Banks (TBB). Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Garanti Bank Vice President Adnan Memis stated that the Turkish banking representatives and World Bank officials had understood each other’s concerns very well. He further stressed that the meeting had been very productive and that both sides had aired their views on possible ways to use the loans extended by the WB. /Cumhuriyet/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION