MILAN - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey would gain much from its accession to the European Union (EU) while the EU would have a different power with contributions of Turkey.
Erdogan told reporters that he met with former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres in Friday's dinner and he made a presentation in the session in Ambrosetti Forum in which Turkey was introduced and promoted.
The EU should be defined as the address of compromise of civilizations in the 21st century, Erdogan said.
Erdogan noted, ''we have defined the EU as a political union not a European Economic Community, not a geographical union or a Christian union.''
Some expressions like the EU was a union based on Christian values were expressed within the EU either on purpose or spontaneously as expressed in the Ambrosetti Forum, Erdogan said.
Erdogan stated, ''this is an understanding which doesn't develop but shrink the EU. The understanding which can develop the EU should be the compromise of civilizations which will bring a solution to the conflict of civilizations. If the EU achieves this, then it will reach that expected power.''
''If Turkey is accepted to the EU, it will gain much. But, I would like to state that the EU will also have a different power with accession of Turkey. Turkey is in an effort to join the EU. But, the EU should think how they can include Turkey in the EU and be in an effort to make this process more meaningful and different,'' Erdogan said.
Erdogan noted that Turkey was not trying to be a burden on the EU and the EU would end its monetary support on member countries as of 2005.
Stating that EU member countries were receiving very serious amounts of monetary support from the Union, Erdogan said that however, Turkey was standing on its own feet.
Erdogan pointed out that Turkey had exerted efforts to fulfil Copenhagen criteria and passed the seventh adjustment package.
Turkey was working on two main fields, including adjustment and enforcement, Erdogan stated.
Erdogan noted that adjustment works had been completed and steps to put into practice the new arrangements were being taken. He expressed determination to take steps in implementing the arrangements and reforms.
The forum was very beneficial, Erdogan added.
Replying to questions of reporters if he had meetings with foreign businessmen there, Erdogan said that businessmen and politicians he met there said that Turkey was a country in which investors had confidence.
When a reporter said, ''on one hand the EU is talking about secularism and on the other hand it is discussing whether or not to write expression of 'Christian club' in draft constitution'' and asked if it was a contradiction, Erdogan said that majority of the participants expressed views that the expression 'Christian club' should not take place in the draft constitution.
Erdogan said, ''otherwise, they will contradict with themselves. I don't think that such an article will be included in the EU Constitution.''
When asked what the recent developments were about Turkey's sending soldiers to Iraq, Erdogan said, ''during the meeting of Chief of General Staff with Jones, the reports of the delegation that went to Iraq will be evaluated and our government will decide whether it will send a motion or not. Thus, there is not a decision made at the moment. Releasing a statement without taking a decision contradicts with the seriousness of our government.''
When recalled that the statement of Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, who said that there were some agreements on sending soldiers to Iraq, Erdogan said that he had not received an information yet about this issue.
When asked the views of Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and Adnan Pacaci, a member of the interim governing council in Iraq, about his statement that Iraqi people should want Turkey, Erdogan said, ''they want Turkey to go there. They also condemn the statements of interim administration. They say it is personal view. But, a person in this position cannot have personal view. His statements are the statements of the government.''
When recalled the news claiming that Arab world had a tendency that Turkish soldiers should not go to Iraq, Erdogan said that the issue should be considered in two phases, including the developments before and after the war.
Noting that 2-3 thousand trucks carried food and equipment from Turkey to Iraq daily, Erdogan said that Turkey wanted unity with Iraqi people.
When asked whether he noticed a negative impression of EU regarding the dispatch of soldiers, Erdogan said, ''no. No message is given to us about this issue.''
(GC-BRC) 07.09.2003