CYPRUS PROBLEM CANNOT BE SOLVED UNDER AUSPICES OF E.U., ERDOGAN

Turkish Press
Nov 5 2006

ISTANBUL – "Cyprus problem cannot be solved under the auspices of the
EU. It has to be solved under the umbrella of the UN," said Turkish
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Making a keynote speech in the "News Xchange" meeting at Istanbul`s
Conrad Hotel, Erdogan indicated that Turkey has taken the steps it
has to (on the road to EU membership).

"And the EU should assume an honest and sincere approach," he stated.

Noting that some artificial problems and obstacles are put before
Turkey, Erdogan said, "Turkey`s full membership path should not
be obstructed by artificial problems. This (membership) is for the
best interests of both Turkey and the EU, and is important for global
peace and stability. I hope that the EU will see it too, and will not
permit a deadlock in (our) negotiations due to some political issues,
which should be solved in some other grounds."

-GLOBAL PEACE-

"Our differences should bring us closer to each other, not to exclude
each other," stressed PM Erdogan.

Erdogan noted that everybody should avoid remarks and behaviors that
incite prejudices.

"It is not possible to talk about an open society and a good democracy
without a free media. But, it is our right to expect the media to
behave responsibly," he added.

-POPE`S VISIT-

"As the Prime Minister of Turkey, I am not arranging my schedule
according to the Pope. I will participate in the NATO summit in
Poland in the same days. I am going (abroad) on an earlier scheduled
formal visit. I am not going abroad just because the Pope is coming
to Turkey. This is out of question," said Erdogan when commenting on
Pope Benedict XVI`s visit to Turkey at the end of this month.

Erdogan stated that the pontiff will discuss political matters with
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, and religious matters with head of
Religious Affairs DG.

-IRAQ & IRAN-

PM Erdogan said that Turkey backs a democratic solution in Iraq and
underlines its territorial integrity, while pointed out that he will
visit Iran soon and wished that the nuclear program controversy will
be solved through diplomatic means.

On criticisms about freedom of expression in Turkey, Erdogan said
that those who are talking about this freedom in Turkey are remaining
silent to the French resolution criminalizing denial of so-called
Armenian genocide allegations. "France was a country of freedoms,
wasn`t it? We have to be more objective about these issues," he added.