*EPF303 01/28/2004
Bush, Turkey's Prime Minister Discuss Iraq, Cyprus, War on Terror
(White House Briefing, Jan, 28: Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan) (620)

President Bush and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held "a very good discussion" at the White House January 28, followed by continued discussions over luncheon, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters.

Among the topics under discussion were the war on terrorism, Cyprus, Iraq and "the importance of moving forward on building a free and peaceful and democratic Iraq for the Iraqi people," McClellan said.

Bush "was pleased to welcome Prime Minister Erdogan back to the White House," McClellan said, noting that Turkey is "a key ally in helping fight the war on terrorism....Both nations know what it means to be attacked by terrorists who have no regard for innocent human life. And so we're working together to fight the war on terrorism."

McClellan said he expected that over luncheon the two leaders would also discuss the greater Middle East area and the importance of continuing to promote freedom and democracy and peace in that region, as well as continuing discussions on Cyprus, including moving forward on the U.N. secretary general's efforts to resolve that matter.

The United States, McClellan said, "is committed to helping in the efforts to find a solution on the issue of Cyprus."

He said Turkey's prime minister, at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, "demonstrated a strong willingness to advance a Cyprus agreement on the basis of the secretary general's fair and balanced plan.

"And we urge our Greek Cypriot friends to agree to finalize a settlement and allow the secretary general to resolve outstanding issues, if necessary, and submit a settlement to referenda by a date certain. Because we believe such a settlement will bring greater stability and prosperity to all people on Cyprus and in Turkey as they move toward deeper integration into Europe."

WHITE HOUSE UPDATES ONGOING EFFORTS TOWARD A DEMOCRATIC IRAQ

Iraqis are now freely participating in discussions about the future of their country, McClellan told reporters, noting that on January 28 "200 Iraqis freely gathered in Baghdad for a town hall meeting to discuss the transition to sovereignty and development of democracy in Iraq."

"This is the third of 18 planned town hall meetings," he said, and was expected to be the largest gathering of its kind.

"There are now more than 200 political parties in Iraq, and elected town and city councils in most of the country. This grassroots participation is another important step toward unleashing freedom and building democracy in Iraq," he said.

U.S. WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH PAKISTAN IN WAR ON TERROR

"We are working very closely with Pakistan in the war on terrorism, they are a strong partner in the global war on terrorism, and we work closely with them on a number of fronts," McClellan told reporters at his early morning meeting with them.

When questioned about allegations of Pakistani scientists secretly selling information about weapons of mass destruction technology to other countries, McClellan said that Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has assured the United States "that was a part of the past and that the government of Pakistan is not involved in those efforts. We appreciate the fact that Pakistan is working with us in the war on terrorism."

Reuters News Agency reported that Musharraf, in an interview with CNN at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said "it appears that some individuals ... were involved for personal financial gain."

Reuters reported that Musharraf said in the interview that there is no evidence "that any government personality or military personality was involved in this."

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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