ANKARA - Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Nesrin Nas said on Tuesday that U.S. Ambassador in Ankara Eric Edelman who visited her stressed that the United States exerted necessary efforts for Cyprus talks to result in positively and noted that EU had to take more initiatives in this process.
Edelman visited Nas in ANAP headquarters.
Nas, who made a statement after the one-hour meeting, said they discussed Cyprus issue. She said there would be indefiniteness in case Turkish Cypriot side says ''yes'' and Greek Cypriot side says ''no'' in the referendum that would take place, stressing that the EU had to take initiatives from now on.
Nas said Edelman stressed that the United States exerted necessary efforts for Cyprus issue to result in positively, and noted that they exchanged views that particularly EU countries should take initiatives and put pressure on the Greek Cypriot side.
Nas said developments in Iraq were also brought onto agenda during her meeting with Edelman, noting that she called for information from the Ambassador about ''Greater Middle East Initiative''.
Nas said Edelman told her that it was not possible for the United States to act on its own, and noted that the United States, Europe and countries like Turkey which are administered by democracy should work in cooperation for settlement of democracy in the region, improvement of democratic and political effectiveness of women and education.
Nas stated that Edelman stressed that controlling energy fields in the region was not the priority of the United States, and noted that it was to mollify the positions of those countries, which become a source to global terrorism after September 11 attacks with democracy.
Nas said when she conveyed to Edelman that there would be indefiniteness in case Turkish Cypriot side says ''yes'' and Greek Cypriot side says ''no'' in a referendum on Cyprus, he said EU should take more initiatives in this process, otherwise EU would take a very serious problem within itself.
Replying to a question about Greater Middle East Initiative, Nas said this was a democratization process also including Afghanistan and Pakistan.
When asked what was concretely expected from Turkey regarding this project, Nas said, ''they don't have a concrete expectation from Turkey at the time being. They want to listen Turkey to learn its views. What I understood was that Turkey was not taken as a model like a pioneering country.''
Edelman, replying to questions of reporters, Greater Middle East Initiative, G-8, and NATO Summit would be discussed during the visit of Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman.
(AY-AÖ) 02.03.2004