Babacan: Turkey Will Adjourn Talks With I.M.F. For A While

ANKARA - Turkish State Minister Ali Babacan said on Monday, ''Turkey and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have reached a general consensus of opinion on elements of the new three-year economic program.''
A meeting took place at the Central Bank building in Ankara with the participation of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, State Minister Ali Babacan and Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti to introduce the new Turkish lira (YTL) banknotes and coins.
Replying to questions of journalists following the meeting, Babacan said, ''IMF has accepted our new program in general. We need to finish banking, social security and tax reform work before concluding IMF deal negotiations. Later, we will meet IMF delegation again in November.''
''Talks with IMF on the new economic program will be adjourned for a while as of tonight. We will meet again in November to give the program its final shape,'' he said.
Babacan added that the new economic program would also be submitted to the EU till December 1st, 2004.
(UK-MS) 25.10.2004