Erdogan: Turkey Should Not Be Left Alone With A Second Terrorist Incident

ANKARA - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey should not be left alone with a second terrorist incident.
Erdogan delivered a speech in the General Assembly of Turkish Travel Agencies Union (TURSAB).
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey had raised an income of 10 billion U.S. dollars through tourism at the moment.
Erdogan noted, ''our aim is to increase tourism revenues to 30 billion U.S. dollars in the following five years and then to 60 billion U.S. dollars in the following ten years.''
Britain lifted the warning it made to its citizens ''not to visit Turkey'' after terrorist attacks in Istanbul, Erdogan stated.
Erdogan asked other European countries to take that right approach as an example.
Noting that he stressed that Turkey should not be left alone with a second terrorist incident in the luncheon he hosted in honor of ambassadors of European Union (EU) member and candidate countries, Erdogan said that he told the ambassadors that their countries should not back and pave the way for terrorism.
Erdogan said that Turkey, particularly Istanbul, had rich historical heritage but could not totally preserve that heritage.
Their target was to record 30 billion U.S. dollars of tourism revenues in the following five years and to increase that figure to 60 billion in the following ten years, Erdogan pointed out.
Erdogan said that Turkey would overpass those targets one day.
The government would allocate an additional appropriation of 100 trillion Turkish liras (TL) for Istanbul's tourism in 2004, Erdogan stated.
Erdogan said that ''damaged'' historical buildings in Istanbul would be listed and then re-opened as hotels after being restored.
They delayed Ilisu Dam project to gain Hasankeyf and to present Zeugma ancient site to humanity, Erdogan added.
(BRC-AY) 06.12.2003