WASHINGTON D.C. - Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in the United States on Monday to hold contacts with high-level U.S. officials.
Erdogan will make a speech in Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
AK Party leader Erdogan will start his official contacts on Tuesday at the Pentagon. Erdogan, who will later proceed to the White House, will meet with U.S. President George W. Bush's National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and State Secretary Colin Powell.
Erdogan will also meet with President Bush and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.
Following his contacts in Washington D.C., Erdogan will go to New York and meet with United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Erdogan will later proceed to Copenhagen.
ERDOGAN: END OF 2003 SHOULD BE THE LATEST DATE TO START ENTRY TALKS WITH EU
Erdogan said on Monday that the end of 2003 should be the latest date to open full membership negotiations with the European Union (EU).
Erdogan, who responded to question en route from Copenhagen to Washington D.C., said that Turkey was in a better condition than other EU candidate countries but the only country which could not get a date to open entry talks was Turkey.
''Like it or not, we have doubts about not being given a date to start negotiations. When we look at the current developments, I think there is such a preparation,'' Erdogan said.
Erdogan informed reporters about his meeting with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and his previous contacts and drew the attention to reform initiatives of the parliament on the road to EU adjustment.
Turkey was more developed when compared with the other candidate countries in the last 18 months, Erdogan noted.
Erdogan said, ''we don't have the deficiencies they have. Like it or not, we have doubt about not being given a date to start negotiations. When we look at the current developments, I think there is such a preparation.''
There could be some deficiencies in implementation in Turkey, Erdogan stated. But, he said, deficiencies could be overcome after a date to open entry talks was given.
The EU was ''saying that everything should be achieved and then a negotiation date would be given'', Erdogan noted.
Erdogan said that this statement was not sincere either.
Responding to a question, Erdogan said that he saw ''a progress'' in his today's meeting with Rasmussen when compared with their previous meeting.
Stressing that Turkey had to join the EU, Erdogan said that 80 percent of Turkish people were positive and sensitive about EU.
Erdogan noted that this sensitivity could be negatively affected unless a date was given to Turkey.
''It is not possible to accept the statement that 'things should continue till this date and negotiation date will be set if Copenhagen criteria are fulfilled.' And there is another statement that 'candidate countries will not affect this.' This is not a right approach. You cannot talk on behalf of ten countries. We are saying that negotiations should begin in Rome and the latest date to start entry talks should be the end of 2003,'' Erdogan said.
Erdogan pointed out that Cyprus question came onto the agenda at the end of his meeting with Rasmussen and said, ''he asked what the situation in Cyprus was and I said that they should not expect a response from us before settlement of this issue.''
Responding to a question, Erdogan said that Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas made a statement that ''he was ready to whatever Turkey wanted.''
When he was asked about the statement of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer that he would not attend Copenhagen summit because he did not find EU's stance as sincere, Erdogan said, ''I cannot set President's attitude. The president had a similar statement before. I think he is evaluating the developments this way at the moment. But, we together with the prime minister will do our best till the very end and then, re-evaluate the situation.''
Upon another question, Erdogan said that he thought that possibility of getting a date to open entry talks was 50 percent.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said that ''date for a date'' formula could also be accepted and added, ''they are putting forth implementation as deficiency. A date can be given in Salonica summit with a good willed approach.''
Responding to a question, Yakis said that they told the U.S. administration that Turkey could suffer from a loss of 38 billion U.S. dollars in a possible operation on Iraq.
Asked if Erdogan would stress this during his meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush, Yakis said that figures could come onto agenda according to course of the meeting.