The New Anatolian, Turkey
Feb 17 2007
Buyukanit bullish on US’ anti-PKK efforts
The New Anatolian / Washington
17 February 2007
Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit expressed his
hope late Thursday about better U.S. cooperation against the
terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), saying, "I got the
impression from the U.S. a more effective fight against PKK (may be
coming). But we’ll have to see the result."
After meeting with U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter
Pace and U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy and former U.S.
Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman, Gen. Buyukanit told reporters,
"You can’t give any exact timetable in the fight against terrorism.
We’ve been countering it since 1984."
Asked about Iran’s Shahab missiles, he said that he hadn’t discussed
this matter with U.S. officials. "As soldiers, we know that how far
the missiles can be sent and what they are," he added.
However, Buyukanit did express Turkey’s uneasiness about the
missiles.
"Such things may make any country and all regional countries uneasy.
Such a capability is dangerous, especially if it is out of control,"
he added.
Buyukanit also stated late Wednesday that the U.S administration is
resolutely against the so-called Armenian genocide resolution, adding
that he finds this a quite positive attitude. Buyukanit met with U.S.
Vice President Dick Cheney and President George W. Bush’s National
Security Advisor Stephen Hadley on Wednesday. He met with U.S. House
of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos on
Friday.
Buyukanit is also expected to participate in a meeting at the
National Defense University and attend a dinner to be hosted in his
honor by Gen. Pace.