ANKARA - U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Robert Pearson paid a farewell visit to Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul on Friday.
Responding questions of journalists following the meeting, Pearson said that the meetings of Turkey-the United States Joint Commission had been continuing in a positive atmosphere.
Noting that Supreme Allied Deputy Commander General John Silvester, who headed the U.S. delegation at the meetings, would return to Ankara tomorrow, Pearson said that meetings targeted to reach a rapid, complete, objective and transparent result.
When a journalists quoted Foreign Minister Gul as saying, ''we have not satisfied with evidences put forward by the U.S. side,'' Pearson said that the commission should complete its duty first.
When asked whether or not the commission had reached a consensus of opinion about stay of Turkish soldiers in the region, Pearson said that both sides wanted a transparent and unproblematic cooperation and coordination between Turkish and U.S. soldiers in the region.
Upon a question about news stories saying that allegations on so-called Armenian genocide would not take place any longer in draft budget of the U.S. State Department for the year 2004, Pearson said that U.S. President George W. Bush's administration was already opposed it.
He recalled that U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney had been trying to persuade senators to prevent the resolution on so-called Armenian genocide.
Noting that many important issues were brought onto agenda during his meeting with Gul, Pearson said that the United States had been fully supporting Turkey's European Union membership process and determination of the government in economic and political reforms and in fight against corruption.
(UK-AÖ) 11.07.2003