WASHINGTON - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday that it was the parliament which would decide on dispatch of troops to Iraq.
Following the luncheon hosted by the Turkish-American Council officials, Gul answered questions of reporters.
When asked whether or not he trusted his party about dispatch of troops, Gul said, ''we will review it again. These are discussed in Turkey. We have things to say about them if we are asked about these issues. Consequently, the parliament decides on it, of course. Then everybody sees the result.''
Replying a question about latest situation of Turkish-U.S. relations, Gul said, ''everybody exerts great efforts, of course. Because everybody knows that Turkish-American friendship is beneficial not only to Turkey and the United States but also to whole world and the region. So everybody is doing his best for continuation of the Turkish-American relations on a more healthy basis of mutual trust in the future.'' ''And as the government, we have been doing our best and fulfilling our responsibilities. Also the United States has the same understanding. I hope that coming years would be much better,'' he said.
GUL MEETS WITH WASHINGTON POST EDITORS BOARD
Gul had a meeting on Wednesday with the Washington Post newspaper's Editors Board.
Sources said that Gul had brought especially Turkish-U.S. relations and Iraq issue on the agenda of the meeting.
TURKISH REPORTERS FACE VISA PROBLEM BEFORE ENTERING UNITED STATES
Turkish reporters who arrived in the United States to cover meetings of Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul faced visa problem at the airport.
Turkish Radio and Television (TRT), private television channel Kanal D and Hurriyet newspaper correspondents who came to Washington together with Foreign Minister Gul faced difficulties at the airport.
Sources said on Wednesday that Turkish reporters who tried to enter the United States with 'tourist visa' were told to return to Frankfurt, Germany to get appropriate visa as they did not have 'journalist visa'.
Turkish reporters who were kept at the airport for nearly two and a half hours entered the United States in return for 195 U.S. dollars each in cash, and they were told that they would be allowed to stay in the United States for five days.
An American official at the border gate said that Turkish reporters tried to enter the United States by violating the U.S. laws, adding that they had to get journalist visa so they fined them.
Foreign Minister Gul who was informed about the event conveyed his sorrow over the unpleasant event that Turkish reporters experienced. He said that relevant authorities had been informed on the event.
Meanwhile, Metehan Demir from the Kanal D said, ''it is very interesting that we faced such an event following the Sulaimania events.'' TRT cameraman Menderes Uner recalled that they had entered the United States for several times in the past with tourist visa called B-1 and B-2. He stressed, ''before we came to Washington, we had the officials at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara confirm that this visa was enough to enter the United States.''
Hurriyet's journalist Ugur Ergan said, ''I feel concern that it was a deliberate event.''
(MS) 23.07.2003