ANKARA - Justice Minister and government spokesman Cemil Cicek said late on Saturday, ''following detention of Turkish soldiers by U.S. soldiers in northern Iraq, we held a series of talks with our U.S. interlocutors. We reminded them that both our government and our people were sensitive about the event. We also stressed that detention of Turkish soldiers was totally unacceptable.''
Addressing journalists following the meeting held at the Prime Ministry Office with the participation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal and General Staff Operation Department Chairman and Military Chief Advisor General Koksal Karabay, Cicek said, ''we have been following all developments about detention of Turkish soldiers and their dispatch to Kirkuk first and later Baghdad. The event was assessed in detail with officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the General Staff. Actually, both the General Staff and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been making detailed assessment since the very beginning of the event. A delegation including officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the General Staff arrived in Suleymaniyah this evening and began holding meetings with officials.''
''Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul discussed the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and General Staff Chief General Hilmi Ozkok held talks with Supreme Allied Commander and U.S. Forces in Europe Commander General James Jones. In response, Mr. Powell called Foreign Minister Gul on the phone later in the day,'' he said.
Cicek told reporters, ''U.S. officials told us that seven civilian detainees were taken to Suleymaniyah and they were released later while 24 detainees including 11 Turkish officers and noncommissioned officers were taken to Baghdad. Some difficulties emerged in proceedings and assessments due to the national holiday of the United States. U.S. officials were out of the city for holiday.''
''Following detention of Turkish soldiers by U.S. soldiers in northern Iraq, we held a series of talks with our U.S. interlocutors. We reminded them that both our government and our people were sensitive about the event. We also stressed that detention of Turkish soldiers was totally unacceptable. We told them that members of the Turkish Armed Forces should be released as soon as possible. We also noted that such events should not occur again,'' he emphasized.
Noting that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would hold a telephone conversation with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday, Cicek said, ''we hope that such distressing and unacceptable events will not occur again.''
When asked whether Prime Minister Erdogan would meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and whether the National Security Council (NSC) would convene, Cicek said, ''no.''
(UK-MS) 06.07.2003