Turkey’s Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will pay an official visit to Washington at the invitation of President George W. Bush in mid-January. At a press conference Tuesday, US State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said that Afghanistan would be the main issue on the agenda during Ecevit's visit. Boucher added, "There are many issues to be discussed with theTurkish Premier, including Iraq, the Middle East and European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP)."
Meanwhile, US Defense Minister Donald Rumsfeld declared Tuesday that Turkey should be supported in the fight against terrorism. According to Hürriyet daily, Rumsfeld added that " no decision need to be taken by the United Nations for any operation other than Afghanistan." Addressing NATO defense ministers, Sabahattin Cakmakoglu, Turkish Defense Minister, conveyed that Turkey for many years was combating terrorism and would continue its fight until this problem is solved. (Albawaba.com)
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