Zaman, Turkey
March 15 2005
Business Tycons Ask Gul About Possibility of Independent Kurdish
State
By Abdulhamit Bilici
Published: Tuesday 15, 2005
zaman.com
The Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul met with businessmen as
part of his London trip that began on Saturday (March 12). Gul was
asked some crucial questions ranging from the Cyprus issue to the
Armenian problem, and from the ruling party Justice and Development
Party’s (AKP) inclination towards the Islamic ideology and to
acquiring a property in Turkey l.
Gul in response to a question regarding the probability of an
independent Kurdish state he said that this situation would lead to
chaos: “Everybody should remember the Iraqi identity. We do not want
a new chaos or anarchy,” he remarked. Reminding that Turks and Kurds
have lived together and have been friends since ancient times up to
the present day, Gul said “It is not right for both parties to
threaten each other,” Gul made the point that Iraq was an Arab
country and said: “What would the Arabs think about such a division?
What would the Iraqis think about this division? Not only Turkey but
all countries in the region are against such a division.” Gul
responded to a question regarding who will is likely to be the chief
negotiator during Turkey’s membership negotiations with the European
Union (EU), with: “The chief negotiator has turned into a tabloid
topic, much like a pop star. Prime minister will announce that soon.
I am the head of the delegation.” Minister Gul also delivered a
speech at one of the UK’s most prestigious universities, the London
School of Economics. Most notably the topic that dominated the
subjects of questions addressed to Gul, were regarding the issue of
“abuse against women”.