GUL: “A PEACEFUL RESOLUTION IN IRAQ IS PREFERABLE, BUT WE’RE READY FOR ANY CONTINGENCY”
Turkey favors peaceful means to settle the dispute over Iraq, but it stands ready to defend Turkey’s interests in the event of any contingency, Prime Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters yesterday. Speaking at the Foreign Ministry Residence, Gul tried to set out the outlines of Turkey’s Iraq policy in the face of a possible US-led war against that country. Gul said that from the moment it took office this November his government had faced a host of serious foreign policy issues, among them the European Union, Cyprus and Iraq. “But we know what we are doing,” he asserted. “Everything is under control.” Gul said that the government was carefully assessing the situation and reviewing its options. “On Jan. 26, we will convene a closed session of Parliament to discuss and decide on the Iraq issue,” he added. “Turkey is not an emirate, and I’m not an emir. Our country has a democratic system. And Parliament will have the final say about our stance on Iraq should things come war.” /Turkiye/
YALCINBAYIR: “MILITARY DISMISSALS SHOULD BE OPEN TO JUDICIAL REVIEW”
Decisions of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) to dismiss members of the military should be open to judicial review, Deputy Prime Minister Ertugrul Yalcinbayir said yesterday. His remarks came on the heels of Prime Minister Abdullah Gul’s decision to hold up several dismissals approved at last Thursday’s YAS meeting. Yalcinbayir added that his suggestion should not be seen as criticizing the YAS or defending acts which resulted in dismissals but rather as defending the right of individuals to a fair judicial hearing. /Cumhuriyet/
TUSIAD CHAIRMAN: “TO PROMOTE GROWTH, TURKEY SHOULD BRING DOWN INFLATION”
Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) Chairman Tuncay Ozilhan said yesterday that when inflation falls from 40% to 20%, Turkey would be able to achieve a 3% growth rate. Ozilhan also said that TUSIAD would publish a report in 2003 on such important issues as Turkey’s European Union membership bid, the economic program, and other matters. Ozilhan stated that the report would lay out how Turkey could grow much faster with inflation under control. “We can grow at a higher rate for several years if we can manage to bring down inflation,” said Ozilhan. “Over the next year, TUSIAD will continue to diagnose Turkey’s problems and propose ways to solve them.” He also remarked that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government should strive to reach the 20% inflation target, adding that the notion that Turkey could grow economically under continued high inflation should be abandoned. “The AKP government should continue to fully carry out the economic program in 2003,” he stated. “For the nation to grow, it’s also very important that we decrease public debt. The government’s policies will be key in reaching this goal.” Ozilhan added that Turkey’s economic program was very important for the nation’s future. /Hurriyet/
NEW IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO MAKE PUSH FOR PEACEFUL SOLUTION
A new Iraqi ambassador to Turkey is set to take up his post next week with a push against US preparations for war in his country. Ambassador Talip el-Dileymi is expected to hold meetings with Turkish government officials soon after his arrival in Ankara. Sources say he will try to make the case for a peaceful solution to the dispute over Iraq and urge Turkey not to support a US-led war. In related news, Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani is expected to visit Turkey next week to discuss a possible US operation with Turkish officials. /Cumhuriyet/
BEYOND THE ISAF, TURKEY TO AID AFGHAN SOCIAL RESTRUCTURING
Beyond Turkey’s role in leading the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, set to end soon as succeeded by a German-Dutch co-command, the country is also working to help restore the social fabric of Afghan society. Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz, the head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, recently signed a protocol on religious education with the Afghan Pilgrimage and Religious Foundations Ministry. Under the protocol, Turkey is to open religious schools in Afghanistan where Turkish will be the second compulsory foreign language. The Religious Affairs Directorate is also set to help the country train imams devoted to secularism. /Aksam/
SOYSAL: “DENKTAS’S STATEMENT ON RESIGNATION WAS NO GAMBIT”
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas’s statement this week that he could step down if Ankara pressures him to accept a UN plan is no gambit or ploy, but rather a reasonable stance, one of Denktas’s key aides said yesterday. “The president’s remarks should be seen as normal,” said Mumtaz Soysal, Denktas’s constitutional advisor. “They came about as the result of a process of healthy reasoning.” Soysal added that Feb. 28, the deadline UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had set for reaching a settlement on the island, should not limit efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem. /Turkiye/
ECONOMIC TOLL OF IRAQ WAR REPORTEDLY “TOPIC ONE” WITH US OFFICIALS
Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan and Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit yesterday held a meeting at General Staff headquarters in order to formulate Turkey’s official strategy on the Iraq issue. Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok commissioned these two officials to prepare for negotiations with the United States over the matter. Babacan and Buyukanit reportedly determined how Turkey will approach the issue and the arguments that it plans to put forward during its meetings with the US. The two officials stated that the economic losses that Turkey could suffer due to a possible Iraq war should be at the top of the agenda with US officials. Babacan is to prepare a report on this issue to present to US Ambassador in Ankara Robert Pearson. /Aksam/
GREEK CYPRUS, IN BID FOR LEVERAGE WITH THE US, REPORTEDLY TO OFFER PERMANENT AIRBASE
According to a report appearing in Greek daily Vradini, the Greek Cypriot administration has decided to offer the United States permanent use of a military airbase within Southern Cyprus. The report said that the offer was designed to counter Turkey’s leverage with the US, as the new airbase would have the same status and capabilities as the current US Incirlik Airbase in Adana, Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION