ANKARA (A.A) - 29.04.2002 - The Foreign Trade Undersecretariat said on Monday that at the end of the third term meeting of the U.S. Trade and Investment Council in Washington, the U.S. side had stated that it would initiate the legal arrangements for foundation of Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) in Turkey.
Releasing a statement, the undersecretariat said that it had been decided that Turkey would rapidly start and deepen the relevant talks with Israel on the issue by maintaining its works on place and sector regarding the QIZ.
The Turkish delegation was headed by Foreign Trade Deputy Undersecretary Abdullah Koten while the U.S. side was headed by U.S. Trade Deputy Representative Catherine Novelli in the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) meeting held in Washington on April 25.
Noting that technical and legal dimensions of the QIZ issue had been discussed and the first negotiation had been held with the U.S. side, it said that the U.S. side had stressed its sensitivity toward sectors like textiles although it had stated that many sectors could be observed, and that it had proposed to hold talks with the Turkish side and determine the sectors which intensively attracted Turkish, Israeli and U.S. entrepreneurs.
The statement said that the Turkish side had stated that it attributed great importance to the issue and that the role of private sector would determine the process and it would continue its works, adding that if a number of sectors were included in the scope of QIZ, this would be in favor of U.S. and Israeli companies.
It added that the Turkish side would inform the U.S side on its decision on the place of QIZ.