PARLIAMENT APPROVES US UPGRADES AT TURKISH AIRBASES AND PORTS
Ahead of a possible US-led war against Iraq, Parliament yesterday approved a proposal allowing the United States to make upgrades to Turkish airbases and ports for a possible stationing of US troops. The decision came one day after Prime Minister Abdullah Gul declared his government’s support for US plans to carry out a military campaign against Iraq and was approved in a closed session by a vote of 308-193, with 9 abstentions. The government is expected to put another proposal before Parliament on Feb. 18, after next week’s Feast of the Sacrifice (Kurban Bayram) holiday, regarding a US request to station its troops in Turkey for a possible northern offensive into Iraq. In related news, about 50 AKP deputies voted against the proposal, citing their opposition to a war in the region, while all the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies also voted down the proposal. /All Papers/
NATO AGREES TO PROTECT TURKEY IN CASE OF WAR, BUT DEFERS DECISION ON IRAQ CRISIS
Ahead of a possible war against Iraq, NATO once again failed to make up its mind on the issue at a NATO Council extraordinary session yesterday, but Secretary-General George Robertson said that the member countries had agreed to take measures to protect Turkey, a NATO charter member, in case of a conflict. Stating that he had presented the council a proposal concerning Turkey’s request for protection, Robertson added that if no member country raises any objections before next Monday, the proposal would go forward as approved. NATO is expected to send AWACS surveillance planes and Patriot missiles to Turkey to ensure the country’s national security against possible attacks from Iraq. /Hurriyet/
TURKEY HOSTS IRAQI OPPOSITION SUMMIT
Ankara yesterday hosted a summit of northern Iraqi opposition leaders convened in order to discuss a post-Saddam Hussein future. Participating in the meeting were Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKPD) leader Jalal Talabani, Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) Sanan Ahmet Aga, and Nechirvan Barzani, the nephew of Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKPD) leader Massoud Barzani as well as prime minister of the so-called regional Kurdistan government. Also present were US President W. Bush’s Envoy to the Iraqi opposition Zalmay Khalilzad and Turkish Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Ali Tuygan. During the meeting, Tuygan said should Turkish forces enter northern Iraq the Kurdish groups should accept them as allies. He also warned the Kurds not to attempt to found an independent state in the region, adding that nobody should try to benefit from such a war, clearly suggesting that the Kurds should not try to take control of the oil-rich cities of Mosul and Kirkuk. For his part, Khalilzad urged the other participants at the meeting to heed Tuygan’s words. Talabani stated that Turkey and the US were coming to protect the northern Iraqis and that they were all allies. However, Barzani warned that if neighboring countries intervened in the region this could lead to unrest and chaos. /Milliyet/
GUL: “WE WILL WORK FOR PEACE IN IRAQ TILL THE VERY LAST
Holding out an olive branch on the same day Parliament approved measures paving the way for the arrival of US troops in Turkey, Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that he still had hope the Iraq issue could be resolved peacefully, without the need for a US operation. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government will continue pushing for peace till the very last, vowed Gul. “We are waiting for a [second] UN resolution [on Iraq],” he added. “We will also hold a meeting soon with the participation of officials from Arab countries. However, if war comes then Turkey will do whatever is necessary.” /Aksam/
GUL DISCUSSES IRAQ WITH MIDEAST AMBASSADORS
Prime Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday met with the ambassadors to Turkey of Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Iran to discuss recent developments in the standoff between the United States and Iraq. During the gathering, Gul proposed that the ambassadors make a last attempt to reach a peaceful solution by convening another such gathering. Also present at yesterday’s talks was Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis, who afterwards called the meeting a follow-up to last month’s Istanbul summit to seek a peaceful resolution of the crisis. /Milliyet/
IRAQI AMBASSADOR SALIH: “TURKEY’S SUPPORTING A US-LED OPERATION IS TANTAMOUNT TO JOINING A WAR”
Responding to the news that Turkey’s Parliament had approved upgrades of certain facilities in preparation for their possible use by US forces, Iraq’s Ambassador to Turkey Talip Abid Salih said yesterday that such a move was tantamount to joining a war. “If Turkey allows US troops to be stationed here, this is tantamount to taking part in a war,” stated Salih. “Countries which help the US will later realize their mistake.” Salih added that he was not threatening Turkey, merely giving advice. Yesterday’s Parliament vote paves the way for US troops to come to Turkey, but the latter action has yet to be authorized, and will face a separate vote on Feb. 18, after the Sacrifice holiday. /Milliyet/
ERDOGAN: “CYPRUS NEEDS A PEACEFUL RESOLUTION”
The Cyprus issue is in need of a peaceful resolution, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday. Since thousands of Turkish Cypriots had recently taken to the streets to protest for a settlement, Erdogan added, no one can deny the existence of a problem. There are two equal states on the island, stated the AKP leader, and Turkey and Greece are the island’s guarantor countries. He further urged the sides to reach an agreement before the United Nations’ Feb. 28 deadline. /Turkiye/
ANNAN CALLS ON ANKARA AND ATHENS TO SUPPORT SETTLING CYPRUS ISSUE
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has sent letters to Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis urging them to support reaching a peaceful resolution to the Cyprus issue before a Feb. 28 deadline, reports said yesterday. Annan asked Ankara and Athens, as the two guarantor states to the island, to start bilateral contacts on Cyprus’ security issues at once. /Cumhuriyet/
US ENVOY WESTON ARRIVES IN ANKARA TO DISCUSS CYPRUS
US Special Coordinator for Cyprus Tom Weston yesterday arrived in Ankara to promote a settlement on the Cyprus issue before Feb. 28, the UN deadline for peace talks on the island. Following his meeting with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal, Weston told reporters that he was hopeful that a resolution could be reached before the deadline. Diplomatic sources characterized Weston’s current visit to Turkey as significant, as it comes on the heels of US Vice President Dick Cheney’s phone conversation with Prime Minister Abdullah Gul on Wednesday. The Turkish premier reportedly asked for US help on the Cyprus problem in return for Turkey’s support for a possible US-led Iraq offensive. /Cumhuriyet/
DENKTAS: “CLERIDES SAYING HE WILL SIGN THE UN PLAN IN ITS CURRENT FORM IS JUST A BLUFF”
Speaking to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Parliament yesterday, TRNC President Rauf Denktas dismissed Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides’s claim that he would sign the UN Cyprus Plan in its current form as nothing but a bluff. He added that he hadn’t come to Parliament to make a decision on the UN plan, but rather to brief the deputies on recent developments. Denktas charged that Clerides had rejected all his proposed changes to the plan. Speaking after the briefing, Denktas said that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had sent a letter to the Turkish and Greek prime ministers urging them to reach an agreement on the island’s security, adding that he approved of this effort. “We will continue on our path even if the two sides on Cyprus are unable to reach an agreement before the Feb.28 UN deadline,” he stated. /Turkiye/
ERDOGAN TO RUN IN SIIRT BY-ELECTION
Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday officially applied to the Supreme Board of Elections (YSK) to stand in a by-election in the southeastern Anatolian province of Siirt. Erdogan was legally barred from running for Parliament in last November’s general elections which swept the AKP into power, a situation which was quickly remedied by the AKP deputies once in office. The Siirt by-election, scheduled for March 9, is widely expected to pave the way for Erdogan to become prime minister. /Sabah/
US TREASURY’S TAYLOR MEETS WITH BABACAN, DISCUSSES TURKEY’S ECONOMIC LOSSES IN EVENT OF IRAQ WAR
US Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs John Taylor yesterday met with Economy Minister Ali Babacan to discuss the possible economic fallout in Turkey of an Iraq war. Turkey estimates that the nation’s economic losses due to such a war could run as high as $32 billion, whereas the US is reportedly planning to give Turkey aid in the neighborhood of $15 billion. Today Taylor is due to meet with Prime Minister Abdullah Gul. /Cumhuriyet/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION