ANKARA - Turkey would voice its views about the Middle East at the G-8 Summit to be held in the United States, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.
Appearing on a private television channel, Erdogan said, ''you have to sit at the table. You will be a participant as long as you sit at the table. And, then your word may be listened. We will be there to this end.''
Turkey was invited to the G-8 Summit as a ''democratic partner'' not as a target country, Erdogan noted.
Erdogan said that he would voice Turkey's views on the project to be shaped up regarding the Middle East.
Noting that leaders of 13-14 countries would meet at the summit, Erdogan said that this summit would be the first step.
Erdogan said, ''I think it is wrong to remain outside these developments. We will make our evaluations and then take necessary steps. The further you are from the table, the further your interests would be away from this table. You have to sit at the table. You will be a participant as long as you sit at the table. And, then your word may be listened. We will be there to this end.''
Asked if Turkey would be a mediator in Israeli-Palestine dispute, Erdogan said, ''why not? We told the Israeli minister that we will undertake such a duty willingly. Turkey should be in such an effort in the Middle East. When our Foreign Minister (Abdullah Gul) was getting prepared to go to the Middle East, these incidents erupted. If those incidents had not occurred, Mr. Gul would have concluded the diplomacy traffic. And, then it would have been my turn and I would have gone there. We are going to participate in the G-8 summit with our own will.''
(BRC) 01.06.2004