ANKARA - Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said on Tuesday that the statement of the joint commission which was formed to investigate detention of 11 Turkish officers and non-commissioned officer by U.S. soldiers in Iraq was beyond meeting Turkey's expectations, adding, ''this statement could not compensate Turkey's damaged honor.''
Speaking at the CHP Parliamentary Group meeting, Baykal said that the Turkish public opinion had been wondering for a long time the reason for the detention but the joint commission's statement could not meet those expectations.
Noting that the statement had only put forward an intention to maintain good relations between Turkey and the United States, Baykal said, ''if the United States had a rightful reason, then we have the right to know about it. Similarly, if there was a mistake made by the United States, then we again have the right to know about it. This incident cannot be passed over lightly with such a statement. The statement does not include any position or attitude and any expression of apology. The damaged honor of Turkey has not been compensated. It is difficult for a big state to apologize. The United States avoided to make such an apology to save its honor. However, Turkish soldiers were kept in detention for sixty hours and they were slapped and got kicked, and such a treatment to Turkish soldiers unfortunately hurt honor of Turkey and the Turkish Armed Forces.''
Stating that the government had not yet answered questions of the CHP parliamentarians who asked whether or not the U.S. officials had met with PKK-KADEK organization representatives in northern Iraq, Baykal said, ''as the leader of the CHP, I am now once again asking this question. Did the U.S. officials have a meeting with PKK-KADEK representatives in northern Iraq?''
Stressing that such a meeting was an issue which Turkey should take seriously, Baykal said, ''PKK-KADEK is in the United States' list of terrorist organizations. The United States has not met with any of the organizations in its list so far. What they discussed at that meeting in northern Iraq should become clear. It is very important for the future of Turkey. Acts of terrorism have started again in Turkey in last two weeks. What is the thing lying beneath these? Something is going on in Iraq and it has started to cause trouble for Turkey.''
''It is understood that the United States is trying to remove five thousand terrorists from the mountains in northern Iraq. Can there be a fight against terrorism by holding negotiations with terrorists and telling them to leave the area? Terrorism is rendered ineffective, it is not exported. If terrorism is exported from northern Iraq to Turkey, it is our duty to investigate it thoroughly. Such an exportation has started and terrorism in northern Iraq has started to come to Turkey,'' he said.
(MS-AÖ) 15.07.2003