ERDOGAN: “TURKEY AND THE US ARE STRATEGIC ALLIES”

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the weekend visited the southeastern province of Gaziantep and held a banquet for local businessmen there. At the dinner, Erdogan rebuffed recent media reports alleging troubles in Turkish-US bilateral relations. “Some members of the foreign and domestic media are trying to say that Turkey is having problems with the US,” said Erdogan. “However, this isn’t the case. Our strategic partnership is here to stay. Ankara is focused on the content of Washington’s official statements. As US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently stressed, Turkey and the US are strategic partners.” Erdogan also spoke out on last week’s surprise resignation of Culture and Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu, charging that Mumcu had never contributed to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government. “In criticizing him, we should review his record,” said the premier. “Unfortunately, Mumcu hasn’t made a single positive contribution since being appointed Cabinet minister, so his resignation is no loss for us.” /Aksam/

IN TRNC POLLS, TALAT’S PARTY EMERGES WINNER

Some 150,000 Turkish Cypriots yesterday cast their ballots for new members of the 50-seat Republican Assembly. Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat’s Republican Turkish Party (CTP) emerged the winner of the elections with 25 deputies in the Parliament, a seven-seat gain. A new coalition government is expected to be formed in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), officials said. The other parties represented in the new Parliament, the National Unity Party (UBP) led by Dervis Eroglu, Serdar Denktas’s Democrat Party (DP) and the Peace and Democracy Action Party (BDH) headed by Mustafa Akinci, won 18, six and one seats respectively. Following the announcement of unofficial results, Talat told reporters that that the historic elections and their outcome would play a pivotal role in the future of both the TRNC and the entire island. Pointing to his party’s success in the polls, Talat stated that his government would embrace all Turkish Cypriot citizens and try to forge a nationwide consensus. /Hurriyet/
 

DENKTAS: “TURKISH CYPRIOTS ARE NOT A MINORITY ON THE ISLAND”

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas said yesterday that if peace talks on the island resume, Turkish Cypriots should sit at the negotiating table as a partner equal to the Greek side. Stressing that Turkish Cypriots should own their state, freedom and sovereignty, Denktas said they would continue their efforts for a settlement. “However, we cannot make concessions from our sovereignty,” said Denktas. “We have never been a minority and never will be.” /Turkiye/
 

GEN. OZKOK TO VISIT EGYPT

Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok will travel to Cairo today to pay an official visit at the invitation of Egyptian Defense Minister Hussein Tantavi. During his two-day stay, Ozkok is scheduled to meet with his Egyptian counterpart Hamdi Vehibe and other high-level officials in a bid to develop bilateral military relations and cooperation. Ozkok, the first General Staff chief to visit this country in seven years, is also expected to be received by President Hosni Mubarak. /Turkiye/
 

BAYKAL CUTS RIBBON ON ALAWITE WORSHIP CENTER

Opposition Republican Peoples’ Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday opened the largest-yet worship center for Alawites in Mersin. “Mevlana Rumi, Yunus Emre and Haci Bektasi Veli encouraged tolerance in Anatolia even while a dark age held sway over Europe,” added Baykal. /Aksam/

DYP’S AGAR CALLS FOR EARLY ELECTIONS

Opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar said yesterday that current conditions call for Turkey to hold elections in the near future. At a meeting with his party members in Bursa, Agar said that during his ongoing tour of Anatolia citizens have shown great interest in him and his party, adding that with each passing day, the DYP was growing more powerful. Agar later proceeded to Balikesir. /Turkiye/
 

BARZANI: “REGARDLESS OF TURKEY, KURDS HAVE THE RIGHT TO FORM THEIR OWN STATE”

The northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk is Kurdish, claimed Iraqi Kurdish Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani yesterday. “Kurds won’t allow Turkey to interfere in their internal affairs,” added Barzani. “We have the right to form an independent Kurdish state.” In related news, Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) leader Jalal Talabani said, “No government can be formed without us.” /Star/
 

NSC SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW AIDE

National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Yigit Alpogan over the weekend appointed a new deputy chairman to the NSC’s research branch for the economy, culture, science and education. Fusun Aslantosun was appointed to the new post. /Milliyet//
 

TURKISH AMBASSADOR LOGOGLU LAMBASTES WSJ “SICK MAN” EDITORIAL

Turkish Ambassador to Washington Faruk Logoglu over the weekend sent a letter to The Wall Street Journal lambasting last week’s controversial editorial by editor Robert L. Pollock, a piece whose claim that anti-Americanism in the Turkish media exceeds even that of the Arab world led to a transatlantic firestorm. In his letter, Logoglu cited Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s efforts both to improve bilateral relations and make the Turkish public appreciate this. Logoglu denounced Pollock’s editorial, which revived the old “sick man of Europe” slur, saying that it entirely ignored the richness of the longtime Turkish-US friendship. He also expressed his dissatisfaction with the financial daily’s view of bilateral relations. /Cumhuriyet/
 

IMF’S DEPPLER: “LET EVERYBODY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE INCENTIVES SCHEME”

International Monetary Fund European Department Director Michael Deppler over the weekend delivered a speech at a panel held by the Turkish-American Scientists and Scholars Association (TASSA) at George Washington University in the US capital. “The progress of Turkey’s economy program depends on the government’s successful policies,” said Deppler. “Although the reform process has recently been accelerated by the country’s EU membership bid, there are still a great many reforms left to do.” Stating that equality of opportunity is very important for Turkey’s incentives program, Deppler stressed that everybody should be allowed to take advantage of these incentives. /Sabah/
 

FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS

IMPORTANT MESSAGES FROM ELEKDAG
BY TUFAN TURENC (HURRIYET)

Columnist Tufan Turenc comments on the Iraq issue. A summary of his column is as follows:

“I know that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his staff will ignore the suggestions given by Sukru Elekdag, the experienced diplomat who once served as Turkey’s ambassador to Washington. However, the Turkish public should hear his vitally important suggestions. Elekdag recently said, ‘The elections in Kirkuk had many defects.’ He charged that the polls were held without oversight, ignored census results, and that 20% of the nation didn’t vote. He added that such an election couldn’t be considered valid, but that unfortunately the world had accepted it. Stating that the elections in the northern city of Kirkuk and the province of al-Tamim were held under particularly bad conditions, Elekdag said Turkey should press on this issue. As you may know, the last one-and-a-half years have seen efforts to settle Kurdish immigrants in Kirkuk. Things are so out of joint that even the Americans, who at first took no notice of this, are concerned and warned that such efforts were illegal. However, when Kurds threatened that they would boycott the elections, the US fell silent.

In the elections in northern Iraq, Kurds won 59% of the votes while the Turkmen got 16%. Ankara mildly criticized the situation but then was obliged to accept the situation. So, what should Turkey do now? ‘Firstly, we should request that the UN send a delegation to the region to investigate if the elections were legal or illegal,’ said Elekdag. Secondly, we should request the cancellation of the election results and the implementation of a census, if it’s determined that the region’s population structure was altered. The Kurds and Shiites might not accept this. This way we can send the message that Turkey is following the situations and is not mere onlooker to developments. Thirdly, Arabs who say that Kirkuk is Arab land should get involved. For Elekdag, there are two dangers awaiting Iraq: firstly, that the Shiite-Kurdish alliance will strengthen increase the Sunni opposition, leading to a civil war. Secondly, Iraq could become a headquarters for al-Qaeda. The following should be done to prevent this: the US should get the UN involved in Iraq, withdraw its forces in accordance with a timetable and include the forces of Islamic countries which don’t border Iraq. Elekdag shows that Iraq will become a hot potato for the entire world.”