ANKARA - Prime Minister Abdullah Gul denied on Tuesday news stories claiming that he had instructed the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) to get ready for a war, and said, ''such news stories are stemming either from lack of information or from the target to affect the markets.''
Prime Minister Gul met with Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal.
Addressing journalists following the meeting, Prime Minister Gul said, ''it is the duty of everyone in Turkey to follow the developments in our neighboring countries. We attribute great importance to inform the opposition party on these developments. I briefed Mr. Baykal on latest developments.''
Meanwhile, Baykal said that Prime Minister Gul had briefed him on recent developments in Iraq.
Responding a question about news stories claiming that he had instructed the TSK to get ready for a war, Prime Minister Gul said, ''these news stories are totally baseless. As you know, we held a meeting yesterday. At the meeting, we briefed members of the Council of Ministers. I regret these news stories. Such news stories are stemming either from lack of information or from the target to affect the markets.''