Pearson Wishes Incidents In North Of Iraq Between Turkey And United States Had Never Occurred

ISTANBUL - U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Robert Pearson said on Wednesday that they wished that incidents which occurred between Turkey and the United States in the north of Iraq on July 4 had never occurred.
Turkish-American Business Council hosted a luncheon in honor of Pearson, who will leave Turkey as his assignment in Turkey ended.
Speaking in the luncheon, Pearson said that they considered the detention of Turkish soldiers by U.S. forces in north of Iraq as a regretting incident as Turkish people.
Pearson noted that three years he spent in Turkey, a country full of friendship, as U.S. Ambassador was a privilege for him.
Touching on Iraq issue, Pearson said that it was true that Turkey would face unbelievable economic developments in Central Anatolia, East Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia as the United States and Turkey shared the similar perspective in Iraq issue in the future.
Pearson stated that hundreds of lorries were going from Habur border gate to Iraq every day and the pipeline from Kirkuk to Yumurtalik was ready for operation.
All those were unbelievable potential for Turkish business world in Iraq and north of Iraq, Pearson said.
Pearson noted that it would take a long time to realize that potential and recalled that relations between states were carried out on mutual national interests.
What was important was that relations between Turkey and the United States reached today after being based on those national interests for long years, Pearson said.
Pearson stated that it was also important that mutual interests would continue in the future.
They considered July 4 incident as a regretting incident like the Turkish people and wished it had never occurred, Pearson said.
Pearson expressed belief that the only way to stand against such incidents which might occur from time to time was to overcome all such things in cooperation.
Comparing that relationship to a ship sailing in the open sea, Pearson said that the ship should continue its course irrespective of the conditions.
Pearson noted that it was true that there could sometimes be storms if somebody was in the open sea.
Stating that the matter was how the ship would overcome that storm, Pearson said that the ship would continue its course despite every kind of storms.
(BRC-AÖ) 16.07.2003