Gul: U.S. Loans Are Not Related With Opening Of Northern Front

ANKARA - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Tuesday that the 1 billion U.S. dollars in economic grants that the U.S. administration allocated from war budget or 8.5 billion U.S. dollars in direct loans to Turkey were not related with opening of ''northern front''.
Following a briefing at the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Gul came to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and replied questions of reporters about the U.S. aid.
Noting that it was not a new economic aid, and they had known about it, Gul said that the aid in question was not relation with opening of ''northern front'' but it aimed to compensate Turkey's economic losses.
Gul added that the aid would be 1 billion U.S. dollars in economic grants or 8.5 billion U.S. dollars in loans.
USD 8.5 BILLION IN LOANS FROM UNITED STATES TO TURKEY
WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush's war budget includes 8.5 billion U.S. dollars in direct loans or loan guarantees to Turkey, White House documents showed.
According to detailed documents of the U.S. administration's war budget for Iraq which has to be approved by the U.S. Congress, the budget includes 1 billion U.S. dollars in economic grants for Turkey but this could be used to secure the loans or loan guarantees. Loans could be used until September 30, 2005.
The United States was earlier planning to provide 6 billion U.S. dollars in direct aid and up to 24 billion U.S. dollars in loans.
(MS) 25.03.2003