ANKARA (AA) - Positive steps taken by the United States after (April 24th) simultaneous referenda in Cyprus were insufficient, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Monday.
Before he went to his tour to the Middle East covering Israel, Palestine and Jordan, Gul told reporters that he discussed steps taken so far regarding Cyprus issue with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage earlier today.
Gul said, ``there are some positive things the United States have done regarding Turkish Cypriots after the referenda. We have stated that we appreciate these steps, but they are not sufficient.``
More steps should be taken to enable the Greek Cypriot administration to assume a compromising attitude, Gul noted.
Answering a question, Gul said that he frankly expressed Turkey`s sensitivities about Iraq`s future during his meeting with Armitage.
Asked if he would bring a message from Syria to Israel during his visit to Israel, the first leg of his tour to the Middle East, Gul said that Turkey wanted Syria and Lebanon to participate in the peace process, and added, ``we want the peace process to be a comprehensive one. Not only us, but many countries want this.``
Commenting on the press reports that he told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he did not want to be the chief negotiator during accession negotiations with the European Union (EU), Gul said, ``such press reports are meaningless unless I am quoted as saying,`` and added that the government would decide on the negotiation process.
(BRC-A֩
2005-01-03