Prime Minister Ecevit To Leave For The U.S. On Monday

WASHINGTON/ANKARA, Jan 13 (A.A) - Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will start his tour the U.S. on Monday as the official guest of the U.S. President George W. Bush.
Prime Minister Ecevit will meet the U.S. President Bush and other officials during his visit that will take place in January 14-18.
The private plane, that is rented from the Turkish Airlines (THY) will depart from Ankara's Esenboga Airport at 11:00 local time.
The plane is expected to land at Washington's Andrews Military Airport on January 14, at 15:40 local time.
Ecevit will start his contacts on January 15 by meeting the World Bank President James Wolfensohn.
Following his meetings with the American-Turkish Council (ATC) members, Ecevit will attend a lunch that will be hosted by the ATC, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Foreign Economic Relations Council.
Ecevit will meet the U.S. State Department Undersecretary for Political Affairs Marc Grossman. Ecevit later will meet the IMF Managing Director Horst Koehler.
On January 16, Ecevit will start his contacts by meeting the U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
Rahsan Ecevit will meet First Lady Laura Bush at a meeting in the morning the same day.
Prime Minister Ecevit will meet Richard Armitage, the Acting U.S. Secretary of State as Colin Powell, the U.S. Secretary of State, had to go on a tour suddenly within the scope of Pakistan-India tension.
Ecevit will later meet the U.S. President George Bush following his meeting with Armitage.
Following his meeting at the White House which is the most important part of his tour to the United States, Ecevit will receive U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'neill at the Blair House.
Ecevit will hold a press conference on January 17. The same day, he will receive the representatives of Jewish organizations and members of the Turkish friendship group at the U.S. Congress.
The Prime Minister is expected to respond to questions of foreign press at National Press Club and later receive U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans at Ritz Carlton.
Ecevit will proceed to New York on January 18. The Prime Minister, who will lay a wreath on the rubble of World Trade Organization in the memory of those killed in the September 11th terorist attacks, will return to Turkey the same day.
Ecevit and the accompanying delegation are expected to arrive in Ankara on January 19.
Prime Minister Ecevit will be accompanied by his wife Rahsan Ecevit, State Ministers Kemal Dervis and Tunca Toskay, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Zeki Cakan, General Staff Planning and Principles Head Resat Turgut.
Some foreign ministry bureaucrats, Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengecti, Treasury Undersecretary Faik Oztrak, Foreign Trade Undersecretary Kursad Tuzmen, Energy and Natural Resources Ministry Undersecretary Yurdakul Yigitguden, Religious Affairs Directorate Head Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz, Democratic Left Party (DSP) deputy Tayyibe Gulek, Deputy Parliament Speaker Murat Sokmenoglu, Motherland Party (ANAP) deputy Emre Kocaoglu, True Path Party (DYP) deputy Oguz Tezmen, Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Ali Coskun, Felicity Party (SP) deputy Bahri Zengin, independent deputy Ahmet Ozal, almost 100 businessmen and around 40 journalists will also go to the United States together with Ecevit.

-PRIME MINISTER ECEVIT HAS AN INTENSE AGENDA IN THE U.S.

WASHINGTON D.C., Jan 13 (A.A) - Cooperation in fight against terrorism, Afghanistan, Iraq, European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), Cyprus, Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, economic relations as well as bilateral and regional isses are expected to be discussed during Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's visit to the U.S.
Diplomatic sources in Washington D.C. said although economic dimension will be stressed more, political and strategic issues concerning the U.S. and Turkey were at the center of the visit.
Cooperatin in fight against terrorism, situation in Afghanistan and Iraq issues are expected to be mainly discussed at the visit. Turkish-Greek relations, Middle East Peace Process and foreign policy issues are also on the agenda of the visit.
Turkey is expected to express readiness for cooperation with the U.S. regarded with re-structuring of Afghanistan.
Turkey will state that it may send teachers and doctors to Afghanistan as it had done in the period of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Founder of the Modern Turkish Republic. Turkey will also say that it may help establishment of Afghan army and police forces, and will demand economic support in this respect.
As concerns are expressed regarded with a military operation on Iraq, diplomatic sources said the U.S. administration did not take a definite decision against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein yet.
The U.S. expects Turkey, which has diplomatic relations with Iraq, to suggest this country to abide by the U.N. Security Council resolutions. Diplomatic sources said there was not any fundamental difference of opinion between Turkey and the U.S. on Iraq issue, adding that Turkey wanted Iraq to abide by the U.N. Security Council decisions and also wanted Iraq to accept weapon observers to the country again.
Turkey and the U.S. have always been in consultation on Iraq issue.
The U.S. officials point out that Turkey's views would be asked in every step that will be taken pertaining to Iraq. As Turkey insists on preservation of Iraq's territorial integrity, the U.S. says it shares the same views.
The difference of opinion between the two countries, that is described as ''technical issues'' regarding Iraq is noted as Turkey's plan to open a second border gate to Iraq.
The Turkish diplomatic sources said the U.S. opposed to these issues with strong statements and that Turkey carefully noted this view.
On January 16, when Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will meet with U.S. President George Bush, President Rauf Denktas of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Greek Cypriot administration leader Glafcos Clerides will have a direct meeting.
Turkey believes that a solution can be found to Cyprus question within this year. Before the European Union (EU) gives a decision about full membership of the Greek Cypriot administration, an agreement between the sides in Cyprus is considered as the ideal thing.
As the negotiations are under way in Cyprus, it is believed that EU's making a progress in Greek Cypriots' full membership would hamper the solution initiatives.
Turkey, as a guarantor country, hopes Greece to handle Cyprus question and exert efforts for a solution rather than being a spectator.
During his contacts with the U.S. officials, Ecevit is expected to voice the necessity of acknowledgement of two independent states in the island and request that direct talks between Denktas and Clerides be supported and no intervention be made in these contacts from outside.
The European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) issue is expected to be high on the agenda of Ecevit's visit to the United States.
Turkish, U.S. and British delegations had agreed on a formula which would eliminate the objections of Turkey regarding ESDP but Greece had voiced its reservations to that compromise in different platforms.
Sources drew the attention that Baku-Ceyhan pipeline was of strategic importance for the United States and said that the United States continued to back the project.
The sources noted that this support was expected to be reiterated during Ecevit's visit.
Economy is also ranked at the top of Ecevit's agenda during the visit in which economy staff and many businessmen will also take part.
Ecevit will request an increase in textile quotas, erasion or reduction in military credit debt interests, incerase in investments of U.S. companies in Turkey and exportation from Turkey to the United States during his contacts.
Diplomatic sources expressed pleasure about the support and sources extended by the United States to Turkey, particularly through the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and said that this support was very important and valuable for Turkey.