ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Saturday that they wanted the Islam world to be an effective power working for goodness in the world.
Gul delivered a speech at closing session of an international symposium on ``Islamic World in the 21st century`` organized by Foreign Ministry Strategic Researches Center in Istanbul.
Recalling that many issues concerning Islamic world would be discussed in talks under the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) 31st Meeting of Foreign Ministers that would start in Istanbul on June 14, Gul said that most of issues which would be discussed in those talks were not new. He added that however, solution of those issues became urgent in recent years.
Stating that they wanted Islamic world to be an effective power working for goodness in the world, Gul said that but this goal could not be reached only by foreign policy and countries should also take initiatives within their territories.
``We should continue changes for open societies that are governed well and that are more democratic, transparent and more effective in economic-social field,`` Gul stressed.
Gul said that Islam looked at the world rationally and humanely and noted that raising social and economic standards of people was the main goal. He added that Turkey could be a source of inspiration for those who wanted to protect their traditional values and to be modern at the same time.
Stating that timetable and phases of reforms should be set by each country instead of any external imposition or pressure, he said that reforms should be determined according to needs and sensitivities of countries.
(EÖ-BRC) 12.06.2004