ERDOGAN: “WE HOPE THE US KEEPS ITS PROMISES ON NORTHERN IRAQ”
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with his Polish counterpart Leszek Miller. At a joint press conference, Erdogan told reporters that the United States was well aware of Turkey’s concerns over northern Iraq. “I hope that the US administration keeps its promises and that nothing happens which could trouble Turkey,” said Erdogan. Stressing that Turkey and Poland were of one mind concerning the Iraq war, Erdogan said, “Both countries want the war to end as soon as possible.” Pointing out that Poland was expected to be a European Union member next year, Erdogan stated that he was pleased to hear that Poland would support Turkey’s own EU membership bid. The Turkish premier added that both countries were willing to further develop bilateral relations. For his part, the Polish prime minister said that as part of NATO measures for Turkey’s defense, a team of 50 Poles would soon arrive to help guard the nation against a possible chemical weapons attack. In addition, Miller was received by both President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc. After completing his contacts in Ankara, the Polish premier proceeded to Istanbul to visit a number of historical sites. Miller departed to return to Warsaw in the evening. /Turkiye/
TURKEY TO DELIVER HUMANITARIAN AID TO IRAQ
As part of humanitarian aid to Iraqi civilians injured during the current war, Turkish officials will hold a meeting today with officials from the Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay), the United States and the International Red Cross Committee. Turkey’s aid package includes the transfer of individuals to Turkey for medical treatment, the dispatch of medicine, medical supplies, and health officials, as well as a mobile hospital. In addition, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that eight truckloads of humanitarian aid supplies would be sent to Iraq. /Turkiye/
TURKEY, US TO TAKE UP NORTHERN IRAQ ISSUE THIS WEEK
Turkish and US officials are due this week to once again take up the northern Iraq issue, including the question of whether Turkish troop will enter the region. In the negotiations, the US side is to be represented by Robert Pearson, the US ambassador to Ankara. /Sabah/
IKDP FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF ZEBARI: “KIRKUK IS KURDISH”
The blueprint to build democracy in Iraq has many lines running straight from the Kurds' northern region, said the Associated Press in an article carried in yesterday’s New York Times. “But the sketch also passes through some complicated terrain,” it continued, “including questions of what powerful Kurdish rulers will ask for in return for helping the US-led coalition fight Saddam Hussein, and how many concessions they will accept.” The AP article quotes Iraqi Kurdish Democratic Party (IKDP) foreign policy chief Hoshyar Zebari as saying, “We say this plainly: Kirkuk is Kurdish.” The piece stressed that although both Turkey and Iran have deep reservations about Kurdish control of the northern oil cities and are unequivocally opposed to any Kurdish state, the Kurdish leaders have set Kurdish authority over Kirkuk as a “basic requirement” of cooperation with the US towards a postwar Iraq. /Star/
DENKTAS: “IF PAPADOPOULOS REJECTS MY PROPOSAL AGAIN, I COULD OPEN MARAS TO SETTLEMENT”
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas vowed yesterday that if Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos again rejects Denktas’s new package of proposals for a resolution on the island, then he would consider opening part of the Maras area for Greek Cypriot settlement anyway. In Denktas’s package, presented last week, he proposed turning over the TRNC’s Maras military zone, formerly Famagusta, to the Greek Cypriots. “What I dream of is an operation to save Maras,” said Denktas. “Turkey has a commitment to the UN Security Council that a part of Maras will be given to its previous owners. Thus, we are making these proposals within our commitments.” /Turkiye/
BABACAN HEADED FOR IMF, WORLD BANK MEETINGS IN WASHINGTON
State Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan is set to fly to Washington today to participate in the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, both of which begin this Saturday, April 12. During his two-day visit, Babacan is expected to meet with officials from both organizations ahead of the IMF Executive Board’s examination of Turkey’s fourth economic program review scheduled for April 18. /Cumhuriyet/
CB HEAD SERDENGECTI: “TURKEY CAN STILL ACHIEVE ITS INFLATION AND INTEREST RATE TARGETS FOR THIS YEAR”
Speaking at the Central Bank’s annual shareholder meeting yesterday, CB Governor Sureyya Serdengecti predicted that the economic impact of war notwithstanding, the Turkish government’s economic goals for this year were still attainable. The war in Iraq poses a threat to Turkey’s inflation by putting pressure on the Turkish lira, acknowledged Serdengecti, which in turn increases the cost of imported goods. “However, if the war in Iraq is of short duration, the possibility of it putting lasting pressure on both the floating exchange rate and inflation is low,” he stated. Serdengecti added that Turkey could still achieve its inflation and interest rate targets for this year if the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government fully implements the economic program and puts priority on privatization. /Milliyet/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION