ANKARA - Foreign Ministry Spokesman Huseyin Dirioz said on Thursday that it was stated in the letter sent by U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the strategic partnership between Turkey and the U.S. was so healthy and important that it would not be affected by the last incident.
Responding to a question about the issue, Dirioz said that Rumsfeld wrote the letter dated July 13 when the joint commission formed to inquire the Sulaymaniyah incident continued its studies and it included the views voiced by the U.S. side during the studies of the joint commission.
''It is known by the public opinion that these views were noted and responded by us,'' said Dirioz, adding that ''Rumsfeld stressed in his letter that the U.S. and Turkey, as two allies, shared common interests in Iraq, the U.S. was aware of the important role Turkey would play in reaching the target of formation of a united, free and prosperous Iraq and that the U.S. would not permit the north of Iraq be a shelter again for attacks against Turkey,'' Dirioz said.
Dirioz stated that the U.S. respected deeply the courage and honour of the Turkish Armed Forces which stood side by side with the U.S. since Korean War, and that the U.S. wished to strengthen the existing ties by being aware of the fact that American-Turkish alliance would be beneficial for two big nations in the future.
(Öª) 17.07.2003