Dulger: This Was The First Time That Such A Comprehensive Report About Turkey Has Been Prepared

ANKARA - Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission Chairman Mehmet Dulger said on Friday that this was the first time that such a comprehensive report about Turkey was prepared and that it was an important development.
Dulger held a meeting with European Commission's Representative to Turkey Hansjorg Kretschmer.
Following the meeting, Dulger told reporters that Kretschmer and he discussed Progress Report.
Dulger said that the report included some wrong information which said that women in the parliament did not wear trousers and stated that he showed today Kretschmer his secretaries who wore trousers in the parliament.
Stating that such a comprehensive report about Turkey was prepared for the first time and it was an important development, Dulger said that a report which was giving signals that membership negotiations would start was prepared. He added that those issues would also be brought onto the agenda during the process of negotiation.
Dulger said that he told Kretschmer that ''EU was a development for you, but it means a change for us'' and stated that change was a very difficult thing.
Concerning disputes on alphabet issue, Dulger said that this issue was one of the provisions which could not be demanded to be changed of the Constitution.
When Dulger was reminded that Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul reproached that headscarf issue was not included in the report, he said, ''positive sides of the issue should be considered.''
Noting that he told similar things to Kretschmer, Dulger said Turkey had taken very important decisions for its social and political life. Dulger said the EU had difficulty in finding appreciation although it was skillful in finding mistakes.
Dulger said European Commission would open a center in Istanbul. He said Kretschmer told him that European Commission Chairman Romano Prodi would attend the inauguration of the center on January 13.
Replying to another question, Dulger evaluated the elections that would take place in TRNC. Dulger said Turkey should be objective for the elections as far as possible. He said Cyprus policy should be formed according to the will that would come out after elections.
(EÖ-AY) 14.11.2003