SEZER: “POSTWAR BALANCES IN IRAQ SHOULD NOT THREATEN THE REGION”
Speaking yesterday at a closed session of a conference held at Istanbul’s War Academy, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said that new balances formed in Iraq after the war should neither threaten its neighbors nor endanger the stability which Turkey wants to see re-established in the region as soon as possible. “Turkey will support Iraq in its path to democratization,” he said. “When Iraq starts to advance on the way to democracy, Turkey will be one of the first countries to support it as its most steadfast partner.” Sezer stated that Turkey had explained to its allies its sensitivities about the northern Iraqi cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, and reiterated to them that protecting Iraq’s territorial integrity, political unity, and independence were still Ankara’s priorities. He added that Turkey didn’t want to send troops into northern Iraq for military reasons alone. “We know that terrorist groups in the region won’t pass up any chance to act against Turkey, so we’ve told our allies of our concerns,” Sezer added. /Milliyet/
ERDOGAN, GUL MEET WITH GREEK COUNTERPARTS DURING SEECP SUMMIT
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdulllah Gul yesterday met with European Union Term President Greece’s premier and foreign minister, Costas Simitis and George Papandreou. The leaders attending the sixth summit of the heads of state and government of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro gathered during a recess following the opening ceremony to discuss the Cyprus issue. After the meeting, Erdogan said that both sides should act in the spirit of self-sacrifice, and that common ground could be reached on the issue. /All Papers/
ERDOGAN: “THE UN SHOULD PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE IN POSTWAR IRAQ”
After completing his contacts at the sixth heads of state and government summit of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Belgrade, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday returned to Ankara. Speaking to reporters at Esenboga Airport, Erdogan said that he had held very productive meetings with the Balkan leaders at the summit. Regarding the Iraq war, the premier stated that the Turkish government placed great importance on making sure humanitarian aid got to the Iraqi people. He said that injured Iraqis would receive treatment at Turkish hospitals and that a transport carrying medical aid and food had been sent to Iraq. Reiterating that Iraq’s territorial integrity must be maintained and that its natural resources belonged solely to the Iraqi people, Erdogan added, “The United Nations should play an active role during the Iraq’s postwar reconstruction process.” /Turkiye/
GUL: “WHATEVER THE OBSTACLES, TURKEY WILL FULFILLITS RESPONSIBILITIES ON ITS WAY TO THE EU”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) summit in Belgrade, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul brushed aside Turkish media reports of an alleged conversation between top German and Danish officials during last year’s European Union summit in Copenhagen reportedly discussing ways to frustrate Turkey’s EU membership bid. “These kinds of things happen from time to time,” said Gul. “The important thing for Turkey is to fulfill its responsibilities and then to put pressure on the EU [on its membership bid].” Stressing that there was no turning back from the path to Turkey’s membership for either the EU or the nation itself, Gul added, “The EU could put many other obstacles before us, but we would overcome them all.” Speaking on the Iraq war and the progress of Kurdish forces towards the northern Iraqi cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, Gul said, “I am sure that Turkey’s concerns will be taken into consideration.” /Turkiye/
GUL SET TO VISIT DAMASCUS THIS WEEKEND
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is set to fly to Damascus this weekend in order to discuss recent developments on the war in Iraq with his Syrian counterpart Farouk al-Shara. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is also expected to visit Damascus following Gul’s visit. /Milliyet/
IMF HEAD KOEHLER: “IF TURKEY CARRIES OUT THE REFORMS SET OUT IN ITS LOI, THE ECONOMY SHOULD STAY ON A HEALTHY TRACK”
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Horst Koehler declared yesterday that if Turkey carries out structural reforms stipulated in its new letter of intent (LOI), then the nation’s economy would continue on its current healthy track. “They have a realistic chance if they implement what they said in the LOI, that growth continues,” Koehler told Reuters. Koehler further stated that if the war in Iraq ends soon, its negative effects on Turkey’s economy would be limited. He also praised Turkey’s efforts to decouple the economy and politics, and its reforms to the banking system. Koehler also predicted that the world economy would grow about 3% this year. /Aksam/
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION