ANKARA - Poverty was the source of terrorism, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.
Erdogan received German-Turkish Parliamentary Friendship Group Chairperson Claudia Roth and accompanying delegation.
Speaking in the meeting, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said that he was in favor of disarmament.
Erdogan noted, ''let's make investments to help poor people. Because, poverty is the source of terrorism.''
Sources said that Erdogan explained his government's initiatives on the road to European Union (EU) membership.
Erdogan stated that the parliament had recently passed the last of EU adjustment laws.
Turkey had started to put into practice the adjustment laws, Erdogan said.
Noting that Turkey still had some deficiencies, Erdogan said that Turkey was trying to eliminate its deficiencies.
Erdogan stated that Turkey would have better relations with Germany and other EU member countries after December 2004, when it expected the EU to decide to open entry talks.
Roth, in her part, said that coming months were very important and stated that those coming days should be considered in regard with EU values, human rights and rule of law.
Giving Turkey an EU perspective was also very important for Germany's internal policy because two and a half million Turks were living in Germany, Roth noted.
Stating that speeches Erdogan made in Germany were appreciated, Roth said that Erdogan was the first prime minister who told Turks living in Germany to learn German and who met with representatives of human rights organizations.
Parliamentarian Johannes Kahrs said that around 50-58 percent of German people were positive towards Turkey's EU membership.
Stating that they wanted to increase that percentage with several activities, Kahrs noted that Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Turkey was an important occasion to serve that goal.
When Kahrs said that Germany could re-start to sell weapons to Turkey, Erdogan said, ''isn't there any conflict here? I am in favor of disarmament. Let's make investments to help poor people. Because, poverty is the source of terrorism. The world should not be a place, where photographs taken in Iraq showing bombardments, killing of children and harassment of women are published and broadcast. Let's invest in brotherhood, affection and peace. Let's be countries being proud of reducing poverty, not increasing number of their weapons.''
Roth agreed with these words of Erdogan.
Claudio Roth, who is paying a visit to Turkey between May 9 and 16, met with Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul on Monday. She said that they supported Turkey's European Union (EU) membership and welcomed especially the recent constitutional amendments.
Roth was then received by Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc. Arinc said in the meeting that Turkey had made great reforms in fields of democratization and freedoms and it was the most essential duty to put those reforms into practice.
(BRC-AÖ) 11.05.2004