ANKARA - Rifat Hisarciklioglu, the Chairman of Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), quoted on Tuesday U.S. top administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer as saying that ''the United States had a very clear policy about preservation of Iraq's territorial integrity.''
Hisarciklioglu, who paid a visit to Iraq on Sunday by a delegation comprised of about 20 people, held a press conference in which he said that trade volume between Turkey and Iraq was around 980 million U.S. dollars in 2003.
Hisarciklioglu noted that Turkey's target for 2004 was to reach a trade volume of 1.5 billion U.S. dollars.
Stating that Turkish business world should be active in reconstruction of Iraq, Hisarciklioglu said that he and accompanying delegation stressed it during their visit.
Hisarciklioglu noted that he brought onto agenda commercial problems that should be solved in short term and some solution proposals during his visit.
TOBB Chairman Hisarciklioglu listed some of their demands as ending fee practice in Ibrahim Al Halil Border Gate in the north of Iraq, starting construction of a border gate in Ovakoy as soon as possible and forming secure truck parks in Mosul, Baiji, Baghdad and Kirkuk.
Hisarciklioglu underlined importance of giving at least one of the tenders opened by the United States in Iraq to Turkish companies and proposed to form a chamber to contribute to the process to improve private sector in Iraq.
Referring to responses he and the delegation received to their demands, Hisarciklioglu again quoted Bremer as saying that ''a federal structure based on ethnic and religion could not be formed in Iraq.''
Hisarciklioglu said that Bremer told Iraqi people that Turkey was a very important country for the region and that improvement of Turkish-Iraqi relations would be very important for Iraq.
He informed officials he met about obstacles and problems about trade and investments in Iraq, Hisarciklioglu pointed out.
Hisarciklioglu said that he proposed some solutions and presented some projects.
He and Iraqi officials decided that Turkish and Iraqi contractors and transporters would meet in Iraq between March 13-14, Hisarciklioglu stated.
Hisarciklioglu added that Turkish subcontractors and suppliers would be invited to a meeting in Iraq which would convene main undertakers and construction material suppliers after undertakers of tenders were unveiled in mid-April.
TOBB Chairman Hisarciklioglu, who went to Iraq upon invitation of Bremer, met with Bremer, Bremer's assistant Richard Jones, Director of Private Sector Development in Iraq Thomas Foley, Iraqi Contractors' Confederation Chairman Asad Al-Khudairy, Iraqi Industrialists' Union Chairman Kais Al-Khafaji, Iraqi Interim Governing Council Current President Abd al-Hamid, PMO Program Director Tom Gibb, CPA Chief Adviser Rob McKee.
(BRC-AÖ) 10.02.2004