BAGHDAD/ANKARA - Union of Turkish Chambers of Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu has said, ''we, as the Turkish private sector, want to take place at the negotiation table where re-building process and future of Iraq will be discussed.''
TOBB delegation headed by Hisarciklioglu returned to Turkey late on Monday after completing their visit to Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Addressing journalists aboard the plane on his way back from Baghdad to Ankara, Hisarciklioglu said that their visit aimed at providing the highest level contact between Turkey and Iraq.
Highlighting importance of their meeting with Paul Bremer, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq who has been charged to re-build Iraq and to settle political and economic stability, Hisarciklioglu said, 'we, as the Turkish private sector, want to take place at the negotiation table where re-building process and future of Iraq will be discussed. We want to explain our projects at the table.''
Noting that they had the highest ranking meetings and also expressed their problems during their tour, Hisarciklioglu said that Bremer had made an important opening. He added that Bremer said that he told Iraqis to increase trade with neighboring Turkey because nobody would determine geography in the future and Turkey and Iraq would exist in this geography, adding that Turkey was the most advantageous country for Iraq. Hisarciklioglu said that this opening was very important.
Hisarciklioglu said that Bremer and Iraqi Interim Governing Council Current President Abd al-Hamid said that they were against a federation based on ethnical and religious principles and religious sects in Iraq, adding that those statements were very important. He said that Iraqi businessmen of contractor sector and Turkish contractor firms would meet in March, adding that this visit would be a first in the world in the aspect of businessmen. He said that such a visit was paid for the first time after the operation in Iraq and added that TOBB was ready to convey all its experiences to emerge private sector again in Iraq. He said that the amount to be reserved for Iraq was nearly 60 billion dollars in 4-5 years and added that political relations with countries that could not settle their systems was very significant and the countries that could not settle their systems were around Turkey which was an advantage for Turkey and politics should have a role on that point. Hisarciklioglu said that Turkey was the only place which would provide integration of Iraq with western world.
(UK-GC-AÖ) 10.02.2004