PRIME MINISTER GUL: “WE HAVE NO TIME TO WASTE”
Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government was working intensively, adding that there was no time to waste. Speaking at a foundation- laying ceremony for the Sereflikochisar-Aksaray highway, Gul stated that there was to much to do and that his government would fulfill the AKP’s pledges made during this fall’s election campaign. /Turkiye/
ERDOGAN PLEDGES TO CONTINUE EFFORTS ON CYPRUS, EU BID
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that it was time to solve the Cyprus issue, adding that Turkey would continue its serious and determined efforts for its European Union membership bid in the wake of last week’s historic Copenhagen summit. At that meeting, the EU resolved to make a decision during its December 2004 summit on giving Turkey a date for accession talks. “Now is a time for Turkey to improve itself in every area in order to open itself up to the world,” stated Erdogan. “In recent months, Turkey has been on the agenda of both the world and Europe. Moreover, Turkey and the EU have agreed to pursue mutual foreign policy goals.” He also said that the dividends from Turkey’s investments would come not in the short term, but the long term. “The AKP government’s priority is to solve the Cyprus issue, as it has vital importance for Turkey’s EU bid,” added Erdogan. He also stated that there was no need to revise the Customs Union, an agreement which Turkey and the EU signed in 1995. /Milliyet/
YAKIS: “THE CYPRUS ISSUE WILL PROBABLY BE SOLVED BEFORE THE END OF FEBRUARY”
Appearing on news channel CNN Turk yesterday, Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said that both sides on Cyprus would probably reach an agreement by Feb. 28, 2003 on the United Nation’s plan for the island. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked the two leaders on Cyprus to sign a letter of intent committing themselves to negotiating an accord by that date. In related news, Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan will reportedly meet with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas to try to convince him to reach an agreement on Cyprus before that date. Denktas is currently in Turkey and plans to stay through this weekend to receive treatment for his health problems. /Milliyet/
PARLIAMENT SPEAKER ARINC VISITS INDIA
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday traveled to New Delhi, India to pay an official visit to the country upon the invitation of Manohar Joshi, the speaker for India’s lower house of Parliament. Before his departure, Arinc told reporters that the visit would be his first abroad in an official capacity and that he would discuss improving Turkish-Indian relations with Joshi. /Turkiye/
MEHMET AGAR ELECTED NEW DYP CHAIRMAN
Mehmet Agar, deputy for Elazig and the sole True Path Party (DYP) representative in Parliament, was elected as the DYP’s new leader during the party’s Seventh Ordinary Congress held over the weekend in Ankara. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc sent congratulatory messages to Agar, as did former President Suleyman Demirel and Agar’s predecessor at the DYP helm, Tansu Ciller. Ciller stepped down in the wake of the DYP’s poor showing in the November elections. Following the announcement of the election results, inhabitants of Elazig poured into the streets to celebrate Agar’s leadership. /Turkiye/
SCHROEDER: “2010 WOULD PROBABLY BE TOO EARLY FOR TURKEY TO JOIN THE EU”
Appearing on German TV channel ZDF over the weekend, German Prime Minister Gerhard Schroeder labeled speculation that Turkey would be able to join the EU in 2010 as “overly optimistic.” “Negotiations with Turkey will begin in 2005,” said Schroeder. “I believe that membership discussions will be long and heated. Turkey has many problems left to be solved. That’s why I believe that it won’t be able to join the EU in 2010.” In related news, Gerhard Schmidt, deputy chairman of the European Parliament, expressed his opposition to Turkey’s admittance to the EU, arguing that the country had failed to meet the EU criteria. /Star/
TOURISM MINISTER AKSIT TO VISIT GERMANY
Tourism Minister Guldal Aksit is set to fly to Germany tomorrow. As part of her first official trip abroad, Aksit will meet with representatives of travel agencies in Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Dusseldorf. /Turkiye/
CHOMSKY RECEIVES PEACE PRIZE IN ISTANBUL
Prominent US intellectual and author Noam Chomsky was awarded the Turkish Union of Publishers 2002 Peace Prize at Istanbul’s First International Book Fair over the weekend. After receiving the award, Chomsky, a critic of plans for a war in Iraq, remarked that the prize was especially significant at a time when talk of war grows louder with each passing day. /Cumhuriyet/
GERMAN VISITORS LEAD NOVEMBER TOURIST TRADE
Of the 660,000 foreign tourists who visited Turkey this November, Germany contributed more visitors than any other nation, according to figures released over the weekend. Additionally, 59% of foreign tourists came from Organization for European Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, and 29% from Eastern European countries. /Star/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION