German FM Fischer met with Abdullah Gul

Underlining that a resolution of the Cyprus issue would positively influence Turkey’s European Union membership bid, the visiting top diplomat pledged that Germany would do whatever it could to help Ankara’s efforts. For his part, Gul said that after this Friday’s National Security Council (NSC) meeting, the government would put the final touches on its Cyprus plan. Stressing that Ankara supported UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s goodwill mission and that his plan had been used by Turkish officials as a basis during their work on the issue, Gul expressed his desire to begin talks over the island soon. Fischer is set to return to Berlin today, where he is expected to meet with Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou.