ANKARA - Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said on Friday that theater raid in Moscow was ''extremely saddening'', stressing that, ''our related services exchange information. There is nothing regarded with Turkey.''
When a journalist asked, ''according to the information leaked from the EU leaders' summit, they would not set a date for Turkey to start full membership negotiations. Instead of it, they would give an appointment date for consultations. Do you think Turkey deserved this?'' Ecevit said he did not know the recent details on the issue.
Ecevit said according to his impressions, the EU waited for the results of the elections in Turkey before taking a decision, stressing that, ''they will continue tactics to put off till that time. We should be patient.''
Responding to a question which said, ''if a date for consultations is not issued after elections in Copenhagen summit, do you think that Turkey should accept a conditional decision,'' Ecevit said, ''no. There can not be anything like conditional decision.''
A journalist said, ''in a program you joined in TRT, you said Turkey has soldiers in Northern Iraq, but you did not give a figure. What is the dimension of the military existence here?'' Ecevit said, ''we have small numbers of soldiers there so far against every possibility. However, we sometimes don't feel the need for it. Particularly, when Turkmens are in difficult conditions, I mean, to protect them. However, it is not like sending military units. We have very small number of soldiers going there.''
When asked how closure case against AK Party would effect the results of elections, Ecevit said this is not clear yet, but issues about legal elements were discussed at the moment.