Baykal: These Are Difficult Days For Turkey

ANKARA - Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said on Monday that ''these are difficult days for Turkey.''
Speaking after his meeting with Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, Baykal said that the ruling and opposition parties had to share the issues that concerned the future of the country at such critical stages. ''I would like to thank Mr. Prime Minister for having this understanding,'' he said.
Baykal said that the meeting was very useful, adding that he would explain his ideas about the issue in the parliament soon.
Baykal didn't respond to the questing asking if his party would support the official note that would be sent to the parliament by the government.
''Are you still hopeful for peace?'' asked a journalist to Baykal who only said ''these are difficult days for Turkey.''
Prime Minister Gul and CHP leader Baykal had a 15-minute tete-a-tete meeting at the end of their meeting in which party administrators and Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal also attended. Sources said Prime Minister Gul told Baykal that the government would wait till Feb 5 to submit the official note of the government about the Iraqi issue to the parliament. Baykal said in the meeting that the government had to submit separate notes to the parliament on issues of Turkey's sending troops to Iraq and deployment and passage of American soldiers via Turkey.