Foreign Ministry Meeting On Iraq And Middle East

GUL: THINGS THAT SHOULD BE DONE BY TURKEY ASSESSED IN MEETING

ANKARA - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Friday that they assessed the things that should be done by Turkey in the meeting held on Iraq and the Middle East in Foreign Ministry.
Speaking to reporters while leaving the Foreign Ministry, Gul said that the meeting continued, adding that ''we examine what is happening in our region and all countries' points of view about the developments.''
Gul stated that they examined the attitude of regional countries, adding ''we assess what Turkey should do.''
Diplomatic sources said that recent developments in Iraq and the Middle East were taken up equally in the meeting, adding that ''not a promising, but rather a difficult picture came out.''
DIRIOZ: MEETING OF TURKISH AMBASSADORS IN MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES IS NOT CONJUNCTURAL
Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Dirioz said that a general assessment on issues concerning the Middle East was made in the meeting.
The Middle East issue and Iraq were taken up interactively in the meeting in which ambassadors gave information about countries where they work.
Dirioz said that Turkey's military, political, economic and cultural contributions to stability and normalization of Iraq and how road map will be implemented for the Middle East peace process were discussed in the meeting.
Stressing that the meeting was not conjunctural, Dirioz said that it was not held only for Iraq or preparation to Damascus meeting which would start on Saturday.
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal, Turkish ambassadors in Damascus, Baghdad, Tehran, Beirut, Riyadh, Amman and Tel-Aviv; Turkey's Special Representative to Iraq Osman Koruturk and Foreign Ministry Middle East Department officials attended the meeting.
(ÖŞ-EÖ-AÖ) 31.10.2003