GUL: ''I SUPPOSE THAT THE HABUR WOULD BE OPENED AGAIN TODAY''
ANKARA - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday that the Habur border gate on Iraqi border would probably be opened again the same day.
Gul received Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) Chairman Sanan Ahmet Aga at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Speaking at the meeting, Gul said, ''I suppose that it would be re-opened today'' adding that necessary efforts and initiatives were under way.
Stressing that Iraq was also the motherland of Turkmens, Gul said they hoped Turkmens would live freely and in prosperity in the region.
Noting that a new situation had emerged and everything had changed after the war, Gul said that everything in Iraq should get back to normal, democratic elections should be held, and a government where everybody was represented equally and whole Iraq's rights and laws were protected should be formed as soon as possible.
Stating that they had had the opportunity of reviewing once again what had happened in Iraq after the war, Gul said, ''all we think about is our Turkmen sisters and brothers in Iraq. We follow what they are doing and how things are going there. Besides, here we altogether talk about a reality. There are Arabs, Turkmens and Kurds in Iraq, of course. All of them are citizens of Iraq. Turkmens are our sisters and brothers but Iraq is their motherland. They live in every city like Kirkuk, Mosul and Baghdad.''
Stressing that Turkey had been expending great efforts to have everything gotten back to normal in Iraq, and it had conveyed a number of new proposals to the United States which had currently the supervisor country position, Gul said, ''however, I believe that Iraq would some day become a democratic and peaceful country as a whole, which is governed by representatives of its people and uses its resources and capabilities for the benefit and prosperity of its people and region, protects solidarity and unity within itself and has friendly relations with its neighboring countries and where everybody lives in peace and tranquility.''
Meanwhile, Sanan Ahmet Aga said, ''we are citizens of Iraq. Our flag is Iraqi flag. We abide by the Iraq's constitution. We take steps in line with the U.N. constitution.''
''Turkey has always stood by us but what we expect from our kinsmen in this new period is not to allow things happen as in the past. We want equal treatment of everybody. We want them to give same assistance to us as others. As Turkmens, we also are a community,'' he said.
Stressing that they had completely fulfilled their duties since foundation of the Iraqi state but they had always remained away from getting their rights, Aga added, ''we will continue to fulfill our duties in this new period, too but we want our rights completely.''
(MS) 18.06.2003