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CONTENTS:
      • Turkey Dismisses Israeli Probe into Flotilla Raid
      • Constitutional Court to Review Reform Package on Procedural Grounds
      • Turkey's Involvement in Mideast not Harming EU Bid, Fule Says
      • IMF Head Sees Bright Future for Turkish Economy
      • Turkey, Russia to Contribute to Regional Peace, Stability
      • TUSIAD Highlights

Turkey Dismisses Israeli Probe into Flotilla Raid
 
Turkey dismissed a commission set up by Israel to probe the deadly raid on Gaza-bound aid ships Monday, warning of unspecified measures if a U.N.-led inquiry was not carried out. The Israeli committee, which will include two foreign observers, was formed to conduct an investigation into the legal aspects of the operation in which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists and wounded many more.

But Ankara slammed the move, saying it did not believe the Israeli commission would carry out an unbiased probe of the pre-dawn attack. "We have no trust at all that Israel, a country that has carried out such an attack on a civilian convoy in international waters, will conduct an impartial investigation," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told reporters in Ankara.

Turkey wants the circumstances surrounding the May 31 attack to be investigated by a commission "under the direct control of the United Nations... an impartial one with the participation of Turkey and Israel," he said. "To have a defendant acting simultaneously as both prosecutor and judge is not compatible with any principle of law. If an international commission is not set up and if Turkey's rightful demands continue to be disregarded, Turkey has the right to unilaterally review ties with Israel and implement sanctions," he stated. Davutoğlu stressed that Ankara "is waiting patiently for the international community to take action in an objective manner" and that "otherwise there might be measures that we could take." /Hurriyet/

Constitutional Court to Review Reform Package on Procedural Grounds
 
The Constitutional Court announced on Tuesday morning that it has accepted a petition filed by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) against the government's referendum package passed in May. The court said it would review the appeal on procedural grounds. The court's decision on the package, which includes articles that reform the judiciary, is crucial for Turkey.

The court announced the first session on the package will be held on July 5. The government's constitutional amendment package, which introduces new regulations in many areas, also makes structural changes to the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK). These two articles have been the most contentious changes in the package. In its appeal to the Constitutional Court the CHP claimed that the government's intended changes violate the constitutional principle of separation of powers by giving too much authority to the government in the formation of these two judicial bodies.

The Constitutional Court announced that it had decided to review whether there could have been any procedural violations in the passage of the package in Parliament. In initial comments, State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç declared: "The court will absolutely not go into the content of the package. It should not make any ruling on the substance of the package. If law exists and the Constitution is in force, we most certainly expect the Constitutional Court to heed the written law." He argued the Constitutional Court should not make a ruling on the package before it is referred to a referendum. "I think they can review the appeal on procedural grounds and then reject the application if they fail to find any procedural violations."

In a related development, Gültan Kısanak, the co-chairwoman of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), made a statement regarding her party's stance on the package. She said the BDP would be calling on its voters to boycott the referendum. She said the country needed a new constitution drafted from scratch, speaking at her party's parliamentary group meeting yesterday. /Today's Zaman/

Turkey's Involvement in Mideast not Harming EU Bid, Fule Says
 
Turkey's growing involvement in Middle East affairs does not contradict its bid to join the bloc, the European Union's enlargement chief said in remarks published Monday. "The country's importance in the region is increasing the desire to work with Turkey... I do not believe that Turkey's steps and its attitude toward the EU are contradictory to its membership process," Stefan Fule stated.

His comments came in response to a question on whether Turkey's vote against fresh sanctions against Iran, adopted at the UN Security Council last week, signaled that Ankara was sliding away from the West. Turkey defended its "no" vote as a move aimed at keeping the door open for a negotiated settlement on Iran's nuclear program under a nuclear fuel swap deal it brokered with Tehran on May 17, together with Brazil. Fule, however, insisted the accord was "insufficient to solve the problem" mainly because "it does not contain a pledge by Tehran to resume talks on its nuclear program."

Turkey's "no" vote came atop a crisis with Israel over the May 31 raid on Gaza-bound aid ships, which claimed the lives of eight Turks and one American citizen of Turkish descent, and prompted fiery anti-Israeli tirades by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accompanied with support of the radical Palestinian group Hamas.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week the EU's failure to offer Turkey a swift accession process was one of the factors behind the perceived shift in Ankara's foreign policy. Erdoğan dismissed the charges, insisting that Turkey was committed to its links in both East and West. Ankara, however, has often expressed bitterness over the slow pace of its EU membership talks, struggling amid French and German opposition to the country's accession and the sluggish pace of reform in Ankara. /Hurriyet/

IMF Head Sees Bright Future for Turkish Economy
 
In the future, Turkey will be one of the world's most important economies, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said Thursday. Speaking to reporters after the sixth meeting of the Turkish Investment Advisory Council in Istanbul, Strauss-Kahn said that if it adopts international standards, Turkey could remain on the path towards a higher league.

The IMF head also said that Turkey has managed the global economic crisis well since the beginning, adding that the Turkish economy is currently strong. Saying that now is the time for recovery, Strauss-Kahn stated the IMF would continue to watch Turkey's current account deficit, saying that fiscal discipline is very important. A final declaration issued at the close of the meeting said new reforms are needed in the investment environment in order to boost Turkey's productivity and protect its global competitive edge.

The meeting brought together the chairmen, CEOs, and deputy chairmen of 18 global giants. Among the participants were Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan, the IMF's Strauss-Kahn, and World Bank Vice President Philippe Le Houerou. Heads of leading Turkish business organizations, such as the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD), Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB), Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM), and the International Investors' Association of Turkey (YASED) also attended. /Turkish Press Review/

Turkish-Russian Cooperation to Contribute to Regional Peace and Stability
 
The Turkish prime minister said on Tuesday that consolidation of relations between Turkey and Russia would contribute to regional peace, economic development, and stability, particularly in the Caucasus. Turkey's Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan defined multidimensional relations with Russia as a primary foreign policy item of Turkey. "We aim to raise our trade volume to 100 billion USD in five years," Erdogan told a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Istanbul.

Erdogan and Putin met over breakfast at the Ciragan Palace on the sidelines of the Third Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). The trade volume between the two countries dropped to 23 billion USD in 2009 due to the global economic crisis.
 
Erdogan said Turkey provided for a great deal of its natural gas demand from the Russian Federation, and Turkey would take new steps for use of more natural gas in industry. Turkey and Russia signed earlier on Tuesday a joint declaration on tourism in Istanbul, aimed at ensuring the safety of Turkish and Russian tourists during the time they spend in each other's country.

Turkey's Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK) and Russia's Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service (ROSTECHNADZOR) also signed a cooperation agreement that foresees information and know-how exchange on licensing of nuclear facilities and activities. Under the agreement, TAEK and ROSTECHNADZOR will cooperate in the areas of regulations for licensing and supervision, protection from radiation, management of quality of nuclear facilities, radioactive fuels and fuel waste management, and safety regulations for nuclear/radioactive materials and radioactive waste, emergency reaction and readiness and training for supervisory personnel. /Anatolia.com, Inc./

TUSIAD Highlights
 
Mrs. Umit Boyner, Chairwoman of TUSIAD's Board of Directors, will head a TUSIAD delegation to the United States June 16-17. The group will meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Thursday in addition to holding several meetings with members of the US Congress, think tanks, and non-governmental organizations. Relations between the United States and Turkey, the global financial crisis, and the structure of the G-20 will be discussed.