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Turkish Press Review, 07-08-08
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
08.08.2007
CONTENTS
[01] IN ANKARA, IRAQI PM SIGNS ANTI-PKK PACT
[02] ARINC DECLINES SECOND RUN FOR SPEAKER SEAT
[03] CHP SITS OUT PARLIAMENT SPEAKER RACE
[04] TOP TURKISH DIPLOMAT TO VISIT WASHINGTON
[05] BARZANI: “WE DON’T SUPPORT THE PKK”
[06] GULER ANNOUNCES ENERGY COOPERATION WITH IRAQ
[01] IN ANKARA, IRAQI PM SIGNS ANTI-PKK PACT
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki yesterday paid a visit to Ankara as
the official guest of his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Following a four-hour meeting between the two leaders, a memorandum of
understanding on efforts against the terrorist PKK was signed. Afterwards,
Erdogan told a joint press conference that their meeting had been very
beneficial. Maliki also met with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul, and is set to leave Turkey today. /Aksam/
[02] ARINC DECLINES SECOND RUN FOR SPEAKER SEAT
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday announced that he won’t seek
reelection in the current Parliament. Telling a press conference that his
real job was serving as deputy, Arinc said, “I took assignments in
critical places,” adding, “I had a dream in which the Justice and
Development Party (AKP) became the ruling party. It came true … All our
colleagues should be helpful to the party leader. Everybody should carry
out all their duties with success. We’re far from the luxury of picking
and choosing duties to our liking.” /Star/
[03] CHP SITS OUT PARLIAMENT SPEAKER RACE
Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy leader Mustafa Ozyurek said
yesterday that the CHP wouldn’t nominate a candidate for the post of
Parliament speaker. Ozyurek said that it would be meaningless to nominate a
candidate who ultimately wouldn’t be elected and that the Parliament
speaker post wasn’t important for them. Ozyurek added that a candidate
from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) would be elected speaker and
that CHP leader Deniz Baykal would make a decision about whether to pursue
the deputy Parliament speaker position. /Sabah/
[04] TOP TURKISH DIPLOMAT TO VISIT WASHINGTON
Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ertugrul Apakan is due to visit Washington
later this month for the highest-level bilateral diplomatic talks since
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s February visit to the US capital.
Apakan’s visit during the week of August 20 will take place at the
invitation of US Undersecretary of State Nick Burns, the State
Department’s number three, and the Turkish diplomat is also expected to
hold talks with senior officials from the Pentagon and President George W.
Bush’s National Security Council. A wide range of bilateral matters and
other issues of interest for the two nations will be discussed, but Iraq
and the terrorist PKK’s continued presence in northern Iraq are expected
to top the talks. Cyprus will also be a major topic of discussion,
diplomats say. /Turkish Daily News/
[05] BARZANI: “WE DON’T SUPPORT THE PKK”
Nechirvan Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdish administration in
Erbil, northern Iraq, yesterday claimed that they have not given support to
the terrorist PKK. Barzani characterized Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-
Maliki’s visit to Turkey this week as very important and expressed hope
that it would help solve Iraq’s problems with Turkey. Barzani added that
they don’t want their territory turned into a battlefield and that just
as they have never supported the PKK, they would continue to deny it
support. He said they don’t support the PKK’s attacks against Turkey
through northern Iraq, in part because this would harm them as well.
/Sabah/
[06] GULER ANNOUNCES ENERGY COOPERATION WITH IRAQ
The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry and the Iraqi Oil Ministry have
reached a consensus for cooperation in oil, natural gas and electricity.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler said yesterday that Iraq
would invite the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) to take part in bids
on oil and natural gas exploration and that they would work so Iraqi oil
and gas can be transported through Turkey to Europe. Technical delegations
chaired by Guler and Iraqi Oil Minister Huseyin Sehrestani yesterday
discussed energy cooperation between the two countries. Speaking after a
signing ceremony, Guler said that the cooperation would cover electricity,
natural gas and oil and that they had firstly decided to strengthen
transportation lines between the two countries. Guler added that they had
also decided to establish thermal power plants, at least one apiece in Iraq
and Turkey. /Milliyet/
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