JERUSALEM (AA) - ''Now it is time to work for contribution to peace in the Middle East, not to discuss problems and difficulties. Turkey's expectation is also within this direction,'' said Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
Speaking to reporters about his meetings in Israel at Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv late on Tuesday, Gul said, ''peace process should function clearly and openly. Turkey wants to contribute to peace and it has the capacity to do this.''
''I have conveyed these views to Israeli officials. We have talked many things about the essence of the issue and Israeli officials showed great interests. There is a new atmosphere in the region. Many things can change after elections in Palestine,'' Gul added.
''It is obvious that everybody in the region wants peace,'' said Gul.
He noted, ''I do not consider Israeli government's plan of withdrawal from Gaza as an issue that can be applied instead of road map. This attitude of Israel is important. Also accepting the existence of an independent Palestinian state and talking about road map again after a long interval are significant.''
Gul said, ''we have discussed that not only Israel and Palestine, but also Syria and Lebanon should be part of peace process. I conveyed Israeli officials that Syrian side considered the issue seriously.''
''I was told that there is a big expectation from Turkey and they are open to contributions of Turkey, and also there are many real views about the issue,'' said Gul.
''It is very clear that Turkey is a privileged country for Israel,'' he added.
Upon a question, Gul said, ''terrorism and extreme use of power will have no benefit to anybody. Everybody should understand that nothing can be gained through terrorism.''
Noting, ''it is important that Turkey is a country which is trusted by all sides in the region, '' Gul said, ''there are so few examples in the world that two sides, which are in a dispute, trust in the same country.''
Gul said, ''every type of commercial infrastructure is ready between Turkey and Israel. We only need more encouragement and promotion. Turkey and Israel will soon sign an agreement on researches of high technology.''
(GC-A֩
2005-01-05