Nov. 17th Press Review
ERDOGAN SET TO ADDRESS WORLD SUMMIT ON FOOD SECURITY IN ROME
World leaders, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Libyan President Muammar Kaddafi and Pope Benedict XVI, yesterday convened at Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters for the World Summit on Food Security in Rome, and unanimously passed a declaration pledging a renewed commitment to eradicate hunger from the face of the earth sustainably and as soon as possible. As the guest of honor of the three-day summit, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to address the gathering today. On the first day of the summit, countries also agreed to work to reverse the decline in domestic and international funding for agriculture and promote new investment in the sector, to improve the governance of global food issues in partnership with the public and private sector, and to proactively face the challenges of climate change to food security. In his address to the summit, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon called the current food crisis "a wake-up call for tomorrow." "There can be no food security without climate security," Ban said. "If the glaciers of the Himalaya melt, this will affect the livelihoods and survival of 300 million people in China and up to a billion people throughout Asia," he said. "Africa's small farmers, who produce most of the continent's food and depend mostly on rain, could see harvests drop by 50 percent by 2020. We must make significant changes to feed ourselves and, most especially, to safeguard the poorest and most vulnerable." Calling the over one billion hungry people in the world "our tragic achievement in these modern days," FAO head Jacques Diouf stressed the need to produce food where the poor and hungry live and to boost agricultural investment in these regions. "In some developed countries, 2 to 4 percent of the population are able to produce enough food to feed the entire nation and even to export, while in the majority of developing countries, 60 to 80 percent of the population are not able to meet country food needs," Diouf said. "The planet can feed itself, provided that the decisions made are honored and the required resources are effectively mobilized," he said, calling for an increase in official development assistance to agriculture, a greater share of developing country budgets devoted to agriculture, and incentives to encourage private investment. "Eliminating hunger from the face of earth requires $44 billion of official development assistance per year to be invested in infrastructure, technology and modern inputs. This is a small amount if we consider the $365 billion of agriculture producer support in OECD (Organization for Cooperation and Development) countries in 2007, and if we consider the $1,340 billion of military expenditures by the world in the same year," Diouf said. "Hunger is the most cruel and concrete sign of poverty," said Pope Benedict XVI. "Opulence and waste are no longer acceptable when the tragedy of hunger is assuming ever-greater proportions." /Sabah/
DAVUTOGLU URGES EU TO FOCUS ON ADDED VALUE OF TURKEY'S MEMBERSHIP
In an op-ed in Spanish newspaper El Pais yesterday, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu urged the European Union to focus on the added value that Turkey's EU accession would bring instead of questioning the country's European identity. "Fifty years after the establishment of relations between Turkey and the EU, it's amazing that there are still those who question the European identity of our country," Davutoglu wrote. "Now, given the magnitude of the challenges and opportunities before us, we must abandon those grueling debates and focus on the added value that Turkey's entry would involve." He said Turkey and Spain share the idea that the Mediterranean should again be a source of peace and stability, adding that this idea led the two countries to launch the Alliance of Civilizations initiative. "With the Alliance of Civilizations, our countries have shown that while preserving the uniqueness of our identities, we enrich each other through the recognition of others. This will be a good example for other countries around the world," Davutoglu said. Stating that the world faces numerous challenges such as the economic crisis, energy security, illegal migration, epidemics, climate change, organized crime, misunderstandings between Islamic and Western societies, extremism and terrorism, Davutoglu wrote, "If the aims are to eradicate all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religious grounds or otherwise, to promote a democratic and equitable international order, and to achieve steady economic development and do so in a sustainable way, Turkey's entry into the EU as a full member can make an important difference." Stressing that the main objective of Turkey's foreign policy has always been promoting peace, stability and prosperity everywhere, Davutoglu said, "Turkey's growing economic dynamism, coupled with its demographic qualities, gives the EU a strategic choice when addressing economic imbalances and future challenges of population. When we are in a position to enter the EU as a full member, we will assume responsibility for our part." /Turkiye/
ITALIAN PRESIDENT NAPOLITANO VISITS TURKEY
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with Italian President Georgio Napolitano, in Turkey for an official visit, and afterwards held a dinner in his honor. Napolitano today will meet with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. In related news, the Sixth Turkish-Italian forum will take place in Istanbul tomorrow and Thursday. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini will both deliver speeches to the gathering. /Cumhuriyet-Hurriyet Daily News/
AHMADINEJAD HAILS TURKEY'S CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN TALKS ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday praised Turkey's "sincere and constructive" role in talks over Iran's nuclear program. Speaking to journalists at the annual meeting of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) in Tehran, Ahmadinejad said that nuclear energy is the Iranian people's indispensable right. He said this is not open to negotiation and that they would only talk with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the issue. He said that Iran is ready for constructive, positive cooperation on nuclear energy with the West. On Turkey's role in the talks on his country's nuclear program, Ahmadinejad said, "As a friend and brotherly country, Turkey is working to play a constructive and sincere role. We favor sincere and friendly cooperation with everyone." Outgoing IAEA head Mohammad ElBaradei recently proposed Turkey as a storage country for Iran's uranium. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said Turkey is ready to do this, and talks are taking place with Iranian officials about the matter. /Sabah/
INDUSTRY AND TRADE MINISTER ERGUN VISITS HUNGARY
Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergun yesterday arrived in Hungary for bilateral meetings with Hungarian officials and to sign a bilateral goodwill protocol with Hungarian National Development and Economy Minister Istvan Varga. Ergun will also meet the chairman of the Hungarian parliament’s Economy Committee, Yorgy Podooloak, and State Secretary for Competitiveness Zoltan Mester. /Hurriyet Daily News/
FOUR TURKS AWARDED AT QUEENS FILM FESTIVAL
Four Turks were honored at yesterday's Queens International Film Festival in New York. Director Tolga Ornek was named Best Director for his movie "The Cars of the Revolution," director Hakki Subenteki got the Best Short Film award for his "Allica," while actress Meltem Cumbul got the Woman In Cinema Award for her role in 2005's "Gonul Yarasi" (Lovelorn). Cavu Pictures founder and producer Isil Bagdadi, along with her partner Michael Sergio, also received an award for outstanding contributions to cinema. /Star/
