ANKARA - Turkey expressed its views about the Great Middle East Initiative and conveyed possible contributions it could make to the project to the United States, sources said on Monday.
Diplomatic sources said that Turkey and the United States had many correspondence on the project so far and therefore, Washington administration was aware of Turkey's point of view towards the project.
The same sources noted that Turkey was mentioned together with target regional countries in the project before, but it was included among countries which could contribute to the project as a result of bilateral meetings between Turkey and the United States.
Turkey did not want to be a model country as a part of the project, the same sources stated.
The same sources pointed out that Turkey, as a country which knew the region well, could contribute to the project.
Turkey could make economic contribution to the project, the same sources said.
The same sources noted that Turkey could take a role in establishing contacts between non-governmental organizations (NGOs) through macro-finance and banking projects.
According to diplomatic sources, Turkey thinks that contribution of every country to the project as much as it can and adoption of the project by the host countries are important.
Drawing attention that there was not any religious element in the Greater Middle East Initiative, the diplomatic sources pointed out that the Greater Middle East Initiative was not a project which had totally been settled yet.
The same sources said that it had been accepted that there was need for a referendum process in the Middle East.
The project aimed to bring democratization, modernization, transparency and open economy to the region, the same sources stated.
Diplomatic sources said that the project should be handled by internationally and multi-dimensionally instead of a single country, adding that economic assistance of Western countries was of great importance for accomplishment of the process.
(BRC-AÖ) 31.05.2004