Turkey ready to solve Cyprus in 2004

Atacanli said the president hoped a just and permanent agreement based on equality would be reached by May 1 and added that recent efforts made by Turkey had received international praise. He said they were watching U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s efforts to bring all sides together and that everybody knew the Turkish side was ready to take further steps in accordance with developments in the future.

Speaking at Cankaya Palace to brief the press on recent developments, Atacanli said they had received information on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the United States and that they hoped the visit would boost Turkey’s relations with the United States.

Atacanli noted there was nothing extraordinary about Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) President Rauf Denktas’s meeting with President Sezer.

The presidential advisor said the president had not sent a special message to U.S. President George W. Bush but noted that Bush would be coming to Turkey in June to attend a NATO conference and that the U.S. administration was thinking about scheduling an official visit after the conference. He said they would be very happy to host Bush.

When asked about recent statements made by northern Iraqi Kurdish officials, he said that Turkey’s stance on Iraq was well known and that no one should expect this to change.

A visit by Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mehralizadeh was to thank Turkey for its help in the recent earthquake in Bam, said Atacanli, adding that the issue of northern Iraq had not been discussed during his meeting with Sezer.

Atacanli said 2004 was a very important year for Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union and that the president was ready to do everything possible to contribute to the process.