TURKEY DRAFTS THIRD NATIONAL EU PROGRAMME

Anatolia news agency
Aug 18 2008
Turkey

Ankara, 18 August: Turkish Government Spokesman and State Minister
Cemil Cicek said on Monday [18 August] that draft of Turkey’s third
national programme for European Union (EU) was concluded.

Speaking to reporters after Council of Ministers meeting, Cicek said
the national programme would be hammered out after Turkey’s foreign
minister and chief negotiator for the EU talks, Ali Babacan, meets
with representatives of political parties and NGOs.

"Within the scope of cooperation between its institutions, Turkey
continued its works for the 400-page national document that would
be submitted to EU public. The programme consists of four parts. In
the programme, Turkey expresses its commitments for the next four
years. The programme requires 131 legal arrangements. All of them
are about adjustment," Cicek said.

Cicek also said Council of Ministers also debated 2008-13 Irrigation
Action Plan. "It is necessary to prepare an action plan to use water
sources in the best way. Turkish government prepared an action plan
comprising of 1,543 projects."

Speaking on Stability and Cooperation Platform in Caucasus, which
covered Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, that would
solve disagreements through peaceful ways, Cicek said, "A step should
be made to resolve problems not through military methods by through
peaceful ways."

He said that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited
Russia and Georgia immediately after the incident (clashes in Caucasus)
and held meetings with officials. Cicek said that Erdogan would also
visit Azerbaijan on Wednesday.

"Turkey, being a neighbouring country, submits a project for a peaceful
solution instead of watching incidents as a spectator. I hope related
countries will extend necessary support," he said.