SEZER INVITES IRAN’S KHATAMI TO VISIT TURKEY

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday attended the summit of developing Muslim countries, or the D-8, in Tehran, Iran. Addressing the gathering, Sezer said that he wanted to enhance the D-8’s effectiveness. He further stressed that if Muslim countries seek understanding form the West, they should make clear that those who use violence in the name of Islam were misrepresenting the faith. Following the gathering, Sezer attended a group luncheon hosted by reformist Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, and Sezer reportedly took the opportunity to invite him to visit Turkey. Speaking to reporters, Khatami said that Iraq condemned all terrorist activities, adding, “Turkey’s security means our own security. We have never allowed any group to launch terrorist attacks against Turkey through Iranian territory.” After completing his contacts in Tehran, Sezer returned to Ankara last night. /Turkiye/
 

CYPRUS TALKS TO BEGIN TODAY

New negotiations on Cyprus are set to begin in the Cypriot buffer zone today. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas and Greek Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos, accompanied by their respective delegations, are scheduled to meet to discuss the island’s future, along with UN Cyprus Envoy Alvaro de Soto. In related news, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said yesterday that the new talks constituted a historic opportunity for a resolution on the island which neither side should pass up. "I ... appeal to the leaders to really seize the moment and really work in good faith, in a give-and-take spirit, to make it a win-win situation for everybody,'' Annan told reporters. "I hope the leaders will work with us to produce a plan and a document that is fair and balanced that the people can vote on.'' /Milliyet/

DENKTAS: “BOTH SIDES SHOULD PROVE THEIR GOOD WILL TO PRODUCE AN ACCEPTABLE CYPRUS PLAN”

Speaking to daily Cumhuriyet yesterday, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said that both sides on the island should demonstrate their good will during the new negotiations in order to produce an acceptable UN Cyprus plan. “I said during last week’s meetings in New York that certain changes should be made to the plan,” he said, adding that if the two sides fail to reach an agreement, then Ankara and Athens would weigh in. Denktas added that the Turkish Cypriots would make their decision in a referendum scheduled for April 21. The new Cyprus talks are set to begin today. /Cumhuriyet/
 

DE SOTO: “I’M OPTIMISTIC A CYPRUS RESOLUTION CAN BE REACHED”

UN Cyprus Envoy Alvaro de Soto, who is currently on the island to participate in new negotiations, said yesterday that he was optimistic for a resolution on the island, as both sides were already “very close” to reaching one. “During the negotiating process, which could last a month, the UN plan can be improved on,” said de Soto, adding that the solving of the sovereignty problem last week in New York proved all parties’ political determination for a resolution. He further stated that he hoped this determination would continue during the talks which begin today. Asked about a referendum on the plan expected in April, de Soto said that no one could guarantee approval, but added: “I’m sure that the Turkish and Greek Cypriots will not miss this opportunity.” /Cumhuriyet/

NEW NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS ANKARA

On his first official tour of the alliance’s countries, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO’s new secretary-general, yesterday arrived in Ankara. Today Scheffer is set to meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul. Scheffer succeeded Lord George Robertson at the top NATO post last month. /Turkiye/
 

BELGIUM’S MICHEL, ISRAEL’S PERES TOUT TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP BID

On a visit to Israel yesterday, Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel promoted Turkey’s EU membership bid, underlining that he appreciated Ankara’s latest efforts aimed at improving democracy and human rights. In his address to a conference on European-Mediterranean cooperation, Michel stated that Ankara’s firm political will to join the ranks of the EU had served to strengthen the country’s democracy. In his own speech to the gathering, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres urged Europe to expand its territories beyond the continent proper. “I believe Turkey’s EU membership will bring stability to the Middle East,” Peres added. /Turkiye/
 

DUTCH FM BOT: “I BELIEVE TURKEY WILL JOIN THE EU IN 2015”

Speaking to Dutch daily Volkskrant, Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot, who is due to visit Turkey tomorrow, said that the Netherlands opposed any further delay in the beginning of Ankara’s European Union membership negotiations. “I believe that if it manages to fulfill all the necessary criteria within the negotiations period, Turkey will join the ranks of the EU in 2015,” predicted Bot. “I’m optimistic about Turkey’s position, thanks to Ankara’s recent efforts. The latest democratic reforms are quite impressive. When my country takes over the rotating EU term presidency [on July 1], the Union will focus on this issue, and I believe the negotiations might begin in December [after the year-end EU summit].” The EU troika – Bot, EU Term President Ireland’s Foreign Minister Brian Cowen and EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten – will pay a technical visit to Ankara tomorrow. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is to greet the troika at the airport. The EU troika is also expected to pay an official visit to the capital on March 8. /Sabah/

BAYKAL: “I HAVE SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT THE UN CYPRUS PLAN”

Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said yesterday that even Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul had called the UN plan for Cyprus unacceptable in its current form. “I have serious concerns about the plan,” said Baykal, adding that it shouldn’t be accepted before certain changes are made. “We’re following developments closely and can see that we’re approaching a historic turning point,” he stated. /Aksam/
 

UNAKITAN: “LOCAL ELECTIONS WON’T AFFECT THE IMF REVIEW”

Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan said yesterday that a delegation from the International Monetary Fund might visit Turkey for the seventh review of the Turkish economic program before local elections set to be held on March 28. “Local elections aren’t affecting our work on this,” ha added. Speaking to reporters after a meeting at Istanbul’s Marmara University, Unakitan stressed that up to now the government had steered clear of any expenditures for which resources to pay for them were lacking. “We are determined to continue to this policy,” he said. “This is clear and definite. There are resources for all the expenditures in the budget. If there were not, this would signal a lack of fiscal discipline.” /Turkiye/

FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…

TALAT’S VIEW
BY OKTAY EKSI (HURRIYET)

Columnist Oktay Eksi writes about his interview with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat. A summary of his column is as follows:

“In recent years, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat has led the opposition to TRNC President Rauf Denktas. He believes that politics is the art of being the best last one in line. For this reason, he is satisfied with carrying out work with Denktas. When I spoke to him recently, I reminded him of his words, ‘The day I become prime minister, I’ll lock Denktas in the Presidential Palace and take over the Cyprus talks,’ then asked him about the current situation. ‘What you say is true,’ he replied. ‘If I had won last year’s elections in a different way, I could have done that.’ In addition, Talat was pleased to have gone to New York alongside Denktas. However, this doesn’t mean he’s abandoned his old criticisms. For example, he still argues that last year Denktas was wrong to reject talks on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s plan. ‘We missed this train,’ he argued.

However, Denktas is optimistic about the issue now, as he says there have been certain improvements to the plan since then. I took issue with Talat on one issue. Not just me, but also Denktas disagrees with Talat’s contention that Turks on the island should be recognized not as a people, but as a community. ‘If we talk about two different people, members of the other people can’t apply to the European Court of Human Rights [ECHR] on the grounds of unfair treatment, because one has chosen one’s own people,’ he argued. ‘However, if we talk about the concept of community, the will doesn’t belong to individuals, but rather to the state. Then it might go to court.’ I asked him if the European Union were dissolved, would it be better for Turks to be recognized as a people or community? In that case, he says, he would accept the importance of being a people. However, for now he still resists.”
 

REACTIONS TO MERKEL
BY DERYA SAZAK (MILLIYET)

Columnist Derya Sazak comments on German opposition leader Angela Merkel’s proposal to offer Turkey a “special partnership” with the EU in lieu of full membership. A summary of his column is as follows:

“German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is set to arrive in Istanbul this weekend in the wake of Monday’s visit of opposition leader Angela Merkel, during which she proposed a ‘special partnership’ of the EU with Turkey. Schroeder is expected to underline his ruling Social Democrats’ support for Turkey’s European Union membership bid. When I spoke to him recently, European Parliament Deputy Ozan Ceyhun said that, Merkel’s attitude notwithstanding, there has been no change in Berlin’s EU policy towards Turkey, and that Schroeder would show this clearly. While Turkey doesn’t want to make talks over Cyprus political fodder for local elections in March, the ‘timetable for negotiations’ which the EU may give Turkey in December has already split Germany into two in the runup to this June’s European Parliament elections. Merkel’s hasty visit to Ankara before Schroeder and her ‘special partnership’ proposal was nothing more than a ploy for votes. After Germany’s unification, Berlin raised no objection to the EU’s eastern enlargement as far as Poland, but now it is bearing the heavy economic costs of this. The reasons for frustrating Turkey’s EU goals are more economic than political. With its 70 million population, Turkey could take a big bite, never mind the eastern European countries! However, there are transitional periods of up to seven years for new EU members in some areas such as free movement, with Poland for example. As EU Commissioner Guenter Verheugen rebuffed Merkel, Turkey, with its customs union agreement with the EU, is already a ‘special partner.’ The important thing is to pave the way for political unity. With the June EP elections drawing near, debates in Germany about Turkey will grow louder. The ruling Social Democrats’ goal is to capture more that 30 percent of the vote.

Getting back to reactions to Merkel… One of the most striking comments came from The Wall Street Journal’s European edition. An editorial accused Merkel of dishonesty in saying, ‘Nobody is being honest towards Turkey. Other issues are discussed behind closed doors, and we can’t give Ankara full membership.’ Yes nobody is claiming that Turkey would become an EU member overnight. However, the economic reasons cited by the Christian Democrats are nothing but pretexts to conceal their cultural prejudices.”