September 22, 2003 - 23:15 AMT
TEHRAN PRESENTED ULTIMATUM TO ANKARA
In case Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan refuses to visit Tehran, Iranian president Mohammad Khatami will also refrain from the trip to Ankara. "Wave" Tehran newspaper reported about this categorical statement according to "Albanian" newspaper published in UAE. It was announced before that Erdogan's visit has been postponed because of Tehran's refusal to characterize KADEK Kurdish party as a terrorist one. However, later Turkish press furnished information, due to which the pressure exerted upon Ankara by Washington appeared the true reason for the delay. According to the source, US ambassador to Turkey Mark Parris "advised" Turkish officials to refrain from visiting Iran. In his turn Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul considers the information to be "false", noting that the visit is still on Erdogan's agenda. However, he mentioned no terms.