‘Parliament Will Have the Final Say’

Kicking off his official US visit, Gul was asked whether he trusted his party on the issue of deployment of troops. He replied: "We will take a look at it. It will be discussed in Turkey. If we are asked about this subject, we will talk about it. Of course, in the end, it is parliament’s decision. Everybody will know then."

Commenting on the efforts by both countries to improve relations, Gul said, "We are doing what we need to do as a government. The same applies to the US. I hope that in years to come, [relations] will be better." He added that many businessmen were willing to do business with Turkey.

Gul discussed Turkish-American relations with the editors of the Washington Post and held talks with several senators yesterday. Today, Gul will be meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell. He is also scheduled to meet with Secretary of Defense Ronald Rumsfeld and Paul Bremer, the US-appointed Iraq civilian administrator.

Foreign News Services / Istanbul / TURKEY