IRAN, SYRIA AGREE WITH TURKEY THAT IRAQ SHOULD NOT BE DIVIDED — GUL
By Ronald Baygents
Kuwait News Agency, Kuwait
Feb 7 2007
WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (KUNA) — Iran and Syria agree with Turkey that Iraq
should not be divided, Abdullah Gul, the deputy prime minister and
foreign minister of Turkey, told KUNA following his meeting at the
State Department with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday.
During an appearance at the National Press Club, Gul was asked by
KUNA what the United States wanted Turkey to do in the coming months
to help stabilize Iraq, particularly in terms of Iran and Syria —
which have been accused by U. S. officials of playing a destabilizing
role in Iraq.
Gul said there are "some countries in the region" that Turkey is
asking to "be constructive in this process" by making a "positive
contribution".
U.S. officials know that Turkey has some advantages in the region,
and "they want us to use these," he said.
There have been nine meetings already among the interior ministries
of key neighbors of Iraq, Gul said, and these countries have signed
a protocol "to fight terrorism in the region".
"We all have the same target, the same vision," he said, and that is
to maintain the "territorial integrity of Iraq." All of the countries
are aware that the disintegration of Iraq would be disastrous for
the region, he said.
"All of us — Iran, Turkey, Syria — do not want to see this," he
told KUNA. If it happens, it would be chaotic, and the Middle East
has enough problems already, he added.
"The neighbors (of Iraq) have to involve (themselves) on this,"
Gul said. "Iran and Syria do not want to see Iraq divided. We are
together on this".
While some advocate a "soft partition" of Iraq, Gul said this is not
a panacea, and if it happens, everyone in the region would suffer.
The Iraqi Constitution has "a lot of ambiguities," he said, and there
"are no easy solutions" to the problems in Iraq. "We must work together
to prevent things from getting much worse," he said.
Gul also said that in the war on terror, all parties must be interested
in fighting all terrorist organizations, including the PKK (Kurdistan
Workers Party).
The sectarian conflict in Iraq must not also become an ethnic conflict,
he said.
Asked if he and Rice discussed the possibility of a U.S.-Iranian
military confrontation, Gul said "no", and that U.S. and Iranian
problems "should be solved in a peaceful way".
Gul noted that Turkey was instrumental in seeing that Sunnis were
brought into the current Iraqi unity government, "thereby increasing
its legitimacy".
Turkey supplies 50 percent of Iraqi oil product needs in northern
Iraq, including every city in northern Iraq, Gul said, and one million
trucks in goods go from Turkey to Iraq each year.
He also noted the Turkish contribution to UNIFIL, the United Nations
peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, as well as Turkish contributions to
Afghanistan, including assuming control of forces for stability in
Kabul and helping with hospitals and schools there, and working to
stabilize the Caucasus and the Balkans.
Gul also noted the long history of U.S.-Turkish relations, and said
both countries share "democratic values and ideals." He also mentioned
U.S. use of Incirlik Air Force Base in Turkey.
One "challenge" he mentioned was a resolution introduced recently in
the U.
S. House of Representatives regarding the 1915 "Armenian tragedy,"
which many in the United States and Armenia term a "genocide".
If this resolution passes, Gul said, it would "seriously harm"
U.S.-Turkish bilateral relations.
Turkey has opened all its archives from the late Ottoman period to
historians from everywhere so they can share their findings on "this
tragic chapter in our history," Gul said. (end) rm.bz.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
