McAleese Begins Official Visit To Turkey

President McAleese is due to meet the President and Prime Minister of Turkey as part of an official state visit during a period of constitutional turmoil.

The Irish President's visit comes as the predominantly muslim country undergoes major upheaval over its constitutional arrangements.

Turkey's Islamic-based government and secular judiciary are locked in a constitutional battle that could see radical constitutional reform giving politicians greater power to appoint judges and make it harder to shut political parties.

The situation could see the barriers between the country's church and state eroded, which would in turn lead to more barriers to Turkey's prospective entry to into the European Union.

There is no clear message that the president will be addressing European concerns with the Turkish leaders today but strong links to Europe are widely accepted to be at the forefront of Turkish leaders minds.

Other concerns that are expected to be discussed include the 10,000 Irish people that bought Turkish properties during the boom years. Ireland is the fifth largest investor in the foreign buyers market in Turkey.

President McAlesse is expected to stress the links between the two countries that have sprang up since the increase in Irish Tourism since the 1990s and the property investment that has followed on from Irish visits.

There are also a number of Irish companies like CRH and the Quinn Group active in Turkey.

Included in her schedule today, the President is due to lay a wreath at the tomb of Turkey's founding father Kemal Ataturk before a visit to the Troy Archaeological Site.

(DW)