WASHINGTON - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul met on Friday with U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
Gul and accompanying delegation were welcomed with a military ceremony in Pentagon.
Rumsfeld said during the interdelegationary meetings, ''Turkey is very important for us. We set high value to our relations with Turkey.''
U.S. Deputy Secretaries of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers and other high-ranking officials also attended the meeting.
DISPATCH OF TROOPS TO IRAQ IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR BILATERAL RELATIONS
A U.S. officials said, ''if Turkey sends troops to Iraq, it creates a great opportunity for bilateral relations. Turkey decides on number of troops. We won't make bargaining. The government will decide on dispatch of troops.''
Following Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul's meetings in Washington, U.S. officials told the A.A correspondent that the United States wanted Turkey's military contribution, but the decision on the issue would be taken by the Turkish government.
American sources said that dispatch of troops was an opportunity for Turkish-U.S. relations and Turkey's putting forward its influence over the future of Iraq.
Sources said that U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had told Gul that even the decision on handing over the command of ISAF in Afghanistan to Turkey had taken 1.5 years time, and said there was no need to hurry, but it should not take one year time to decide on dispatch of troops to Iraq.
Meanwhile, Turkish diplomatic sources said the issue would be taken up after Gul returned to Turkey and gave information to the government, and if such a decision was taken, Turkish troops might be deployed in the north and west of Baghdad.
The General Staff would assess the risks, Turkish diplomatic sources said and added that the sides had not discussed ''who would meet the costs of troops'' because it was not an economic issue but it had political values.
Meanwhile, sources said that U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney had said the United States wanted settlement of stability in Iraq to gain an international position and under this framework, they would be pleased with Turkey's participation.
At the meeting, Cheney praised professionalism of Turkish soldiers especially in peacekeeping force operations and said he personally attributed great importance to Turkey.
Meanwhile, Turkish side gave the message that dispatch of troops under the U.N. or NATO umbrella would be much easier. A diplomatic source said, ''we won't be a gendarmerie force in Iraq. Like in Bosnia, we want to contribute to development of Iraq.''
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld said that Turkish-U.S. relations were very important, and Turkey might do many things for stability in the region. The U.S. side touched on issues of recovery of Turkmens' situation and their representation in a better way while the Turkish side stressed that also Turkmens were Iraqi citizens.
Foreign Minister Gul defined detention of Turkish soldiers in Sulaimania as an ''unfortunate incident'' while Rumsfeld said it was a local incident stemmed from lack of coordination but crises in the past had been overcome.
During the meetings at the Pentagon, Turkey expressed the uneasiness it feels over the ties between Mahmoud Osman who was appointed as a member of interim council in Iraq and the terrorist organization PKK. Rumsfeld stressed that terrorism would not be allowed in Iraq and northern Iraq and gave assurance against the PKK terror.
Meanwhile, sources said that meeting between Gul and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell had been held in a very positive atmosphere. They discussed bilateral relations, Iraq, Middle East road map, Cyprus, Armenia and economic situation issues. When Powell asked Gul about economic situation, Gul said that economic aggregates were quite positive.
During the meetings, also Armenian bills at the U.S. Congress were discussed. Turkey expressed its uneasiness over appearance of the issue at the congress frequently.

ARINC: ''I DO NOT SUPPOSE THAT DISPATCH OF TURKISH SOLDIERS TO IRAQ BECAME CERTAIN''
ISTANBUL - Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc said on Friday, ''I do not suppose that dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq became certain. If we receive any official request, our parliament will do whatever is necessary.''
Arinc paid a visit to Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler.
Responding questions of journalists during the meeting, Arinc said, ''I do not suppose that dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq became certain. Any official request has not been made to the parliament yet. As you know, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul recently pays an official visit to the United States. We will listen to his statements after his arrival.''
''If we receive any official request, our parliament will do whatever is necessary,'' he added.

OYAN: ''NO BODY CAN SEND TURKISH SOLDIERS TO ANOTHER COUNTRY AS SHIELD''
ANKARA - Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy group leader Oguz Oyan said regarding sending soldiers to Iraq that ''no Turkish soldier can be sent to another country as shields to decrease the killings of U.S. soldiers.''
Upon questions about contacts of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul in the U.S. and a possible motion on sending soldiers to Iraq in the news conference he held in the parliament, Oyan said that those who could not take lessons from earlier incidents should not claim to administer the country.
''If they ignore the foreign policy lessons which they took in the last eight months and if they enter into new adventures, then they will pursue a hopeless policy,'' Oyan said.
Noting that if promises are made to foreign powers which will bind the legislative organ, those words would only bind the government and the foreign minister who told that, Oyan pointed out that ''giving promises to the world which won't be fulfilled will give damage to Turkey.''
''I hope such kind of rumour is not correct, and we hope no such promises which will bind or by-pass the legislative organ had been given,'' said Oyan, noting that ''no body can send Turkish soldiers to another country as shields to decrease the killings of U.S. soldiers. No body can carry that burden.''
Oyan also claimed that the government continued its unlawful policies.
(Öª-AÖ) 25.07.2003