ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Ministry sources confirmed on Monday that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed pleasure to meet Israeli First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Communications, Labor, Industry and Trade Ehud Olmert if he arrived in Turkey a day or a few days earlier than he was scheduled to come.
The same sources told A.A correspondent that Erdogan had planned for a holiday long before and therefore, would go on a holiday with his family Tuesday afternoon.
Erdogan, to this end, told Olmert that he would be pleased to meet him if he came to Ankara a day or a few days earlier than he was scheduled to come, the same sources noted. Olmert is expected to arrive in Turkey on Tuesday.
The same sources said that Olmert told Erdogan that it was not possible for him to come to Ankara earlier since he was to hold talks in Brussels.
Olmert had earlier told Israeli Jerusalem Post that Erdogan could not meet him due to his busy schedule and therefore, Erdogan proposed him to pay his visit to Ankara a day earlier than the scheduled.
According to the Israeli newspaper, Olmert, as a reply to Erdogan, recalled that he would hold talks in Brussels before he proceeded to Ankara.
The newspaper quoted Olmert as saying that he did not think that Erdogan would not meet him due to political reasons, otherwise he could not meet Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
Olmert is expected to meet Turkish President Sezer, Foreign Minister Gul, State Minister Ali Babacan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler, Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Sami Guclu.
(BRC) 12.07.2004