BRUSSELS - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul informed European liberals about Cyprus issue at a luncheon hosted in honor of Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR), Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said in a press conference after the luncheon on Thursday.
Erdogan, Gul, European Parliament President Pat Cox, European Commission President Romano Prodi, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Slovenian Prime Minister Anton Rop, Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Kristiina Ojuland, Luxembourgian Foreign Affairs and External Commerce Minister Lydie Polfer and ELDR Chairman Graham Watson participated in the luncheon hosted by Verhofstadt.
Verhofstadt and ELDR said that leaders focused mainly on issues including intergovernmental conference, fight against terrorism and economic developments and noted that Erdogan and Gul informed participants about developments on Cyprus negotiations at the luncheon.
Verhofstadt said that they listened to Erdogan and Gul carefully and stated that liberals hoped that Cyprus negotiations would be developed positively and a result on Cyprus issue would be reached by May 1, 2004.
Verhofstadt said that they supported all sides on their path for searching for a solution.
(EÖ-AÖ) 25.03.2004