ANKARA - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Thursday that the letter sent by U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan didn't indicate that the U.S. administration was informed of detention of Turkish soldiers in Sulaymaniyah.
Upon questions of journalists about the issue while leaving the Foreign Ministry, Gul recalled that Prime Minister Erdogan talked to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and he talked to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on the phone about the incident, adding ''the letter does not give out the message that the U.S. administration was informed of the incident.''
Gul stated that the letter expressed the importance attributed to Turkey-U.S. strategic importance and friendship, the respect towards the Turkish Armed Forces, adding that the letter stated the ''sorrow'' of the U.S. administration about the incident.
When asked if the U.S. administration accepted its mistake, Gul said that ''there are ways for states to accept their mistakes.'' Gul pointed out that Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) and the Commander of the United States European Command (COMUSEUCOM) James Jones and Lieutenant General John B. Sylvester came to Turkey after the incident and that Central Command Chief Gen. John Abizaid would come to Ankara on Friday.
Upon a question asking if a response letter was prepared, Gul said that ''we don't have such preparation.'' Upon another question, Gul said that U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz would go to the north of Iraq, but he was not informed about his programme. ''As he is going to the region, I suppose he will also deal with this issue,'' Gul said.
When asked his view about the claim saying that Mahmut Osman who was appointed to the interim Iraqi government was a former member of the terrorist organization, he said that they investigated the issue. ''The initial information we have is that he is either a former communist or a representative of a socialist party. But we investigate if he had any connection with the PKK.''
(Öª-AÖ) 17.07.2003