Unakitan: Results In 2003 Year Budget Pleasing

ISTANBUL - Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan said on Monday that they were pleased with the results in the 2003 budget and noted, ''it seems that we will not have any problem in reaching 6.5 percent primary surplus.''
''International Islamic Finance Forum'' organized by Institute for International Research (IIR) Dubai Branch started in Istanbul.
Unakitan who delivered a speech in the opening of the meeting recalled that the government was implementing an economic stability program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He added that the basis of the program was to comply with financial discipline.
Stating that the government carried on the economic program with determination, he said that they determined the growth target as 5 percent in the 2003 year budget as Turkey needed a lasting stable growth.
Unakitan said that they aimed to reach 20 percent of inflation rate for the end of 2003.
''We have got results of eight months. There will be results of nine months the following days. Results are very pleasing. It seems that we will not have any problem in 6.5 percent primary surplus. I think that we will exceed 5 percent of growth,'' he noted.
Stating that Turkey caught its lowest inflation rate in its history, Unakitan said that he guessed that Turkey would reach 20 percent of inflation rate.
He noted that Turkey's exports would amount to about 45 billion U.S. dollars this year.
Unakitan said that Turkey had an independent Central Bank and added that they attributed great importance to it.
(EÖ-AÖ) 29.09.2003