BAGIS APPEARS ON SHOW TV

Text of report in the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on 10 March 2008

Egemen Bagis, deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, said Sunday his party is committed to fight against terror and that such a struggle will continue until terror is completely eradicated. 

Speaking at a programme on Show TV channel on Sunday, Bagis stressed that the United States provided intelligence to Turkey in north of Iraq.

"As such, Turkey has not received a permission from the US. What Turkey has received is support from the US," Bagis underlined. Touching on the recent visit of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to Turkey, Bagis noted that "Turkey's sensitivity on the territorial integrity of Iraq has been told to Talabani." "Talabani told us that Iraq stands by Turkey in its fight against terror," Bagis underscored.

In reference to the issue of headscarf in Turkey, Bagis said Turkey is the only European country with a ban on headscarf. "As the party in power, we carry democratic standards in Turkey to higher levels, lifting the ban on headscarf," Bagis indicated.