ISTANBUL TO HOST PEACE SUMMIT ON IRAQ TOMORROW
Plans are now firm for a summit to be held tomorrow in Istanbul promoting a peaceful resolution to the Iraq issue. The foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran are expected to attend the meeting, and Prime Minister Abdullah Gul will serve as host. Following the Istanbul summit, another meeting is planned to be held in Damascus, Syria with the attendance of heads of state and government or foreign ministers of the above countries, possibly joined by Kuwait and Iraq itself in the latter case. The details of the Damascus meeting have yet to be finalized. /All Papers/
GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER FISCHER TO VISIT TURKEY
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer will arrive in Istanbul tomorrow to hold a series of contacts with Turkish officials. Fischer is expected to meet with Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis and Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, among others. /Turkiye/
ERDOGAN: “FOLLOWING TURKEY’S LEAD, THE WORLD SHOULD HEED CALLS FOR PEACE IN IRAQ”
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday spoke out forthrightly for peace in Iraq, saying that Turkey was heeding the public’s desire to try to avoid war and that other countries should do the same. Speaking at his party’s group meeting in Parliament, Erdogan praised the government’s initiatives to peacefully resolve the Iraq issue. “Amid preparations for war, demonstrations are being held worldwide to promote peace,” said the AKP leader. “The world’s decision-makers must heed this rising chorus in favor of peace.” Turning to his recent tour of Central Asian countries, Erdogan stated that the focus of his visits had been the energy sector. “We took important steps towards cooperation in energy projects,” said the AKP leader. Stressing that the government was taking an active stance in a host of areas from the economy to international diplomacy, Erdogan said that others would get used to the administration’s rapid pace and fall into line. Meanwhile, Koc Group CEO Rahmi Koc yesterday met with the AKP leader in Ankara in what Koc called “a courtesy visit.” /Turkiye/
CHP LEADER BAYKAL, AT SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL MEETING, SPEAKS OUT AGAINST WAR IN IRAQ
At the conclusion yesterday of the annual Socialist International meeting in Rome, participants passed a resolution calling for a peaceful resolution of the Iraq issue, with Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal among those speaking out against war. “We can’t just sit and watch events unfold in Iraq,” said Baykal in a speech. “If we aren’t able to prevent war, this would be a true failure on our part.” He added that the Socialist International should do its utmost to promote peace and head off war in the region. In the meeting’s final declaration on Iraq, participants stated that efforts at peace needed to be given more time, adding that war should be used only as a last resort. /Aksam/
PEARSON TO BRIEF PARLIAMENTARIANS ON US IRAQ POLICY
US Ambassador to Ankara Robert Pearson is scheduled next Monday to brief select Turkish parliamentarians on the Iraq issue. Pearson will lay out the US policy on Iraq to the members of four parliamentary commissions, namely the Human Rights, Foreign Affairs, National Defense and Planning & Budget Commissions. /Star/
GREEK CYPRIOT FOREIGN MINISTER KASULIDES: “TURKEY HAS TAKEN A TURN IN ITS CYPRUS POLICY”
Yannakis Kasulides, the foreign minister of Greek Cyprus, yesterday stated that the UN’s Cyprus plan might be changed per the separate requests of both sides on the island. Alleging that Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas had no real interest in reaching a settlement, Kasulides remarked that there had recently been a shift in Turkey’s Cyprus policy and that politicians had begun to voice differing views on the issue. /Cumhuriyet/
GOVERNORS DISCUSS MEASURES TO BE TAKEN IN CASE OF IRAQ WAR
The governors of six eastern and southeastern Anatolia provinces and 19 high-level officials from Ankara yesterday met in Diyarbakir to discuss possible measures to be taken in case of war in Iraq. In particular, the participants exchanged views on preparations for holding back a possible exodus of Iraqi refugees to Anatolia’s eastern and southeastern regions. /Cumhuriyet/
IRAQI AMBASSADOR AL-DILEYMI: “IRAQ IS PLEASED WITH TURKEY’S PEACE INITIATIVES”
Iraq’s Ambassador to Ankara Talip Abid Salih al-Dileymi yesterday stated that Iraq appreciated Turkey’s efforts to find a peaceful solution to the current crisis in his country. Stating that the Iraqi nation was well aware that the Turkish people are opposed a war in Iraq, al-Dileymi added that Turkey’s Iraq policy was in line with the principle of “Peace at home, peace in the world” as established by modern Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Al-Dileymi yesterday met with Turkish Foreign Ministry officials to evaluate recent developments in the region. /Cumhuriyet/
BABACAN: “THE GOVERNMENT WILL COMPLETE ITS FOURTH REVIEW OF THE ECONOMIC PROGRAM EARLY NEXT MONTH”
Appearing on television yesterday, State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan said that early next month the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government would complete its work on the fourth review of Turkey’s economic program in cooperation with International Monetary Fund officials. Babacan also stated that the government would complete a new Letter of Intent (LOI) within two weeks, adding that after doing so it would invite an IMF delegation to Turkey. Babacan added that he would be a speaker at a seminar on “A World Without the IMF” during the Davos summit in Switzerland which begins tomorrow. IMF’s First Managing Director Anne Krueger will also make a speech at that meeting, said Babacan. /Milliyet/
CB HEAD SERDENGECTI: “WE’VE TAKEN MEASURES TO SOFTEN THE IMPACT OF A POSSIBLE WAR”
Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti said yesterday that the CB had taken precautionary measures to help protect the nation’s economy from harm in case of a war in Iraq. “We’re ready for any kind of crisis, including a war in Iraq,” he stated. “We have $26 billion in foreign exchange reserves as well as a floating exchange rate to cushion the impact on Turkey of a possible war.” Asked about the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government’s 6.5% primary surplus target, Serdengecti stated that the CB would do its utmost to reach this goal, but that it needed firm support from the government to do so. He added that the government’s support was also very important for the success of the nation’s economic program. “The government needs to take measures to boost its revenues and reduce public sector expenditures,” he added. /Milliyet/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION