PARLIAMENT LIKELY TO VOTE TOMORROW ON US REQUEST TO STATION TROOPS IN TURKEY
As Ankara and Washington have reportedly finally reached agreement on a US request to base its troops in Turkey for a possible northern front into Iraq, the Turkish Parliament is expected to vote tomorrow on the deal concluded between the two nations. Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis told reporters yesterday that a Cabinet meeting is set for today to discuss the issue and that Parliament would more than likely vote on the request tomorrow. After an US cargo ship unloaded armored military vehicles and materiel at the southern Turkish port of Iskenderun last Thursday, over 50 ships filled with US troops along tanks and other equipment are on their way to the region, awaiting only approval from Parliament to disembark. /Turkiye/

US REPORTEDLY ASKS TURKEY TO LET IT ESTABLISH AIRBASE IN BATMAN
The Bush administration has requested that Turkey let it establish a US airbase in the southeastern Anatolian city of Batman in addition to the current NATO base at Incirlik, near Adana, diplomatic sources said this weekend. The request came at a time when at-times intense Turkish-US negotiations between were still continuing on whether Ankara would allow US troops to be stationed in Turkey for a possible northern offensive into Iraq, yet the sources characterized the request as a part of a broader US strategy to secure a long-term military foothold in the wider region of the Balkans, the Caspian Basin and the Middle East. The plan would have far-reaching consequences not only for Iraq but also for the other two countries included in the Bush administration’s “axis of evil,” namely Iran and North Korea, the sources added. While mainly US forces use NATO’s Incirlik Airbase, whose presence in Turkey is established under the nation’s membership in the alliance, it is not clear what the status of the Batman base would be. /Cumhuriyet/

ERDOGAN: “AS WE LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY, PARLIAMENT’S DECISION MUST BE RESPECTED”
Turkey is a democracy, not a kingdom or an empire, so it is Parliament’s place to decide whether to allow US troops to be stationed on Turkish soil, declared Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. “Our Parliament will make a historic decision on the stationing of US troops in Turkey, and it’s everybody’s responsibility to respect that decision,” he stated. “It’s not up to the AKP alone to decide,” he said. Erdogan later met with Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener, State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan, and Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis to discuss recent developments concerning Iraq. /Milliyet/

YAKIS: “THE US SHOULD FASTRACK COMPENSATION FOR TURKEY’S ECONOMIC LOSSES”
Washington should put an economic compensation package on the fast track once Turkey and the US reach an agreement on stationing US troops on Turkish soil, since waiting for US congressional approval could take too long, warned Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis yesterday. Yakis said that an accord between the two nations was close, but added that Parliament wouldn’t hold a vote until the deal was in hand. On the US compensation for Turkey’s losses, he said that a war’s negative impact would be felt immediately, so Turkey would need immediate aid. The US Congress could take two months or more to approve the funds, he predicted, adding, “But in two months the war could already be over.” /Aksam/

TURKISH AMBASSADOR LOGOGLU: “TURKEY AND THE US ARE CONFIDENT AN AGREEMENT IS NEAR”
Appearing on CNN yesterday, Turkey’s Ambassador to the United States Faruk Logoglu said there should be no doubt that Turkey wants to support the US efforts in Iraq as sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council, adding that he believed a deal on this support was very near. “And over the weekend, even at this very hour, Turkish and American teams are talking in Ankara to finalize agreement on three basic areas: economic, military and political,” Logoglu said on CNN’s “Late Edition,” a program aired in both the US and Europe. “If that is in place, then the final decision would be made by the Turkish Parliament this week, when it convenes its first meeting, maybe on Tuesday. The talks are still continuing, it's better to be a little bit cautious, but we are quite optimistic and confident.” Logoglu added that he would like to correct the mistaken impression in some quarters the talks were fundamentally about money. “The economic package is just one pillar of what we are trying to obtain,” he stated. “Even if Turkey gets the right economic assistance package, it will not mean that it's going to be easy to get it through the Parliament. I think given the fact that we have 95 percent of the Turkish people opposing war, this is a democracy, and that's one of the main facts about what we are trying to do in Turkey.” He stated that the two countries were trying to bridge their gap through creative efforts on both sides, but declined to address specific numbers on a financial package since the talks were still continuing. “The Turkish government is making its best effort to come to a supportive position,” he added. /Hurriyet/

IKDP’S ZEBARI: “IF TURKISH TROOPS ENTER NORTHERN IRAQ, THERE COULD BE CLASHES”
Stressing that ethnic Kurds had no desire to establish an independent state in northern Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) foreign policy chief Hoshyar Zebari claimed yesterday that there was no need for Turkey to send troops into the region. In a press conference in Arbil in northern Iraq, Zebari stated that if Turkish troops enter northern Iraq by force, there would be fierce clashes between them and the region’s Kurds. /Turkiye/

RUSSIAN ENVOY PRIMAKOV: “NO ONE CAN GUARANTEE IRAQ WON’T BREAK UP AS THE RESULT OF WAR”
Turkey is right to be wary of the unforeseen consequences that war in Iraq could bring, warned former Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov from Baghdad yesterday. Primakov, a Mideast expert and current head of Russia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, made the comments to Hurriyet while on a mission from Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to head off war. On the eve of 1991’s Gulf War the ex-top Soviet undertook a similar, and unsuccessful, mission to avert conflict. “No-one can guarantee that Iraq would not fall apart after a war,” commented Primakov. “Like Russia, Turkey cannot avoid feeling the effects of any war in Iraq, so it’s normal that our peoples are both opposed to war. One huge risk for Turkey is Iraq breaking into several pieces, with could result in a Kurdish state being founded in northern Iraq. If that occurs, the Kurdish minority in adjacent areas of Turkey could also try to break off and join that state.” /Hurriyet/

ANNAN VISITS ANKARA IN LATE PUSH FOR CYPRUS AGREEMENT
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday arrived in Ankara to discuss the Cyprus issue with Turkish officials. At a press conference, Annan said that Ankara was the first stop of a tour which would also include Greece and the island of Cyprus. Pointing out that the European Union is due to meet on April 16 with 10 incoming members -- including Greek Cyprus -- to sign accession agreements, Annan stated that he hoped that the agreement was signed in the name of a united Cyprus. Towards that end, the UN and EU have set a deadline of this Friday, Feb. 28, for a Cyprus accord. While in Turkey, the secretary-general is scheduled to meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, and Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis, as well as ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Meanwhile, Annan’s Special Cyprus Envoy Alvaro de Soto last night met with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal. /All Papers/

ACCORD ON TURKISH-GREEK NATURAL GAS PIPELINE COULD BE SIGNED TODAY
A historic accord making natural gas sales from Turkey to Greece and the rest of Europe a reality is set to be signed today, according to Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Ministry. A ministry statement said that recent negotiations between Turkish, Greek and European Union officials over a natural gas pipeline connecting the neighboring countries had borne fruit. The accord is to be signed by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler and Akis Tsohatzopoulos, Greece’s development minister. EU Commission Vice Chairman Loyola De Palacio was also involved in talks paving the way for the agreement. /Hurriyet/

UZAN RE-ELECTED YOUNG PARTY LEADER
Media mogul Cem Uzan was re-elected leader of the Young Party (GP) again at its extraordinary congress over the weekend. During the congress, Uzan criticized the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) policies on Cyprus, Iraq, and the International Monetary Fund. Last November, the GP failed to reach the threshold for representation in Parliament. /Aksam/

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION