Babacan meets with party leaders to brief them on draft national program

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday met with Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Muhsin Yazicioglu at Parliament to brief him about the government's draft national program. After their meeting, Babacan told reporters that they had finished the draft last week and would now seek input on it. "We place great importance on broad acceptance of this program by all sectors of society, as we want a consensus on the program," he said. Babacan was turned down by the leaders of Turkey 's two main opposition parties, the Republican People's Party (CHP) Deniz Baykal and Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) Devlet Bahceli, to get similar briefings, but he will meet today with opposition Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Zeki Sezer.