(Eng) "AA R ENG -PM ERDOGAN LEAVES FOR OMAN (2)

Holding a news conference prior to his departure for Oman, Prime Minister Erdogan said, “I will meet Omani Sultan Qaboos tomorrow. On Wednesday, I will proceed to the United Arab Emirates. During the visit, an agreement will be signed between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to mutually encourage investments.”Highlighting importance of further development of dialogue and cooperation with both Oman and the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister Erdogan said, “I believe that the visits will make a valuable contribution to our bilateral relations with those two countries.”Upon a question about the draft EU Negotiation Framework Document,Prime Minister Erdogan said, “the draft document includes the expression 'open-ended'. It is not a new expression. It was already used in the report released on October 6th. We do not have problems tothis end.”“There are 35 chapters ahead of us in the negotiation process. Webelieve that we will become a full member of the EU at the end of the process,” Erdogan added. (End)(UK)22:39 26/09/05"