HARIRI SAYS THEY SUPPORT TURKEY'S ACCESSION TO EU
ANKARA - Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri of Lebanon said on Wednesday that they supported Turkey's accession to the European Union (EU).
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted a dinner in honor of Prime Minister Hariri of Lebanon.
Hariri said that there should be more cooperation in this difficult period that the region was going through.
Stating that there were many common points between the two countries, Hariri said that his proposal on setting up a Islamic market was also valid today and countries should work for this issue.
Hariri said that they supported Turkey's accession to EU and stated that Turkey showed seriousness and took necessary steps on this issue. He added that now, Europe should show a similar seriousness.
Stating that they were pleased with Turkey's policies in Arab and Islamic world, Hariri said that this balanced policy contributed to further improvement of stability in the region. Hariri stressed that Turkey was playing an important role for peace in the region and international field.
Hariri said that this balanced policy showed itself in Iraq and Cyprus issues and noted that Turkish Cypriots showed the world that they wanted to live peacefully. Hariri said they made a call for embargo imposed on Turkish Cypriot side to be lifted in several talks.
Hariri stressed that they supported Turkey's policies on stability of the region and criticized Israel for its policy in the region.
Stating that they appreciated Turkey's views on Iraq issue, Hariri said that they wanted to continue process of countries neighboring Iraq to rescue this country from occupation.
(EÖ-AÖ) 13.05.2004