Koc: Those Who Start The Fire In Iraq Should Themselves Think About It, While Evaluating Statement Of Gen. Buyukanit

ANKARA - Republican People's Party (CHP) Group Chairman Haluk Koc said while evaluating the statement of General Staff Deputy Chief General Yasar Buyukanit who said regarding sending soldier to Iraq, ''we cannot turn a blind eye to the fire in front of our doors'' that if there was a fire in Iraq, those who started it should think about it and it was not the problem of Turkey to put it out.
Koc replied questions of reporters regarding the issues on the agenda.
When asked to evaluate the statement of General Buyukanit, Koc said, ''all constitutional organizations and institutions of Turkey can express their views regarding the problems of country. It is necessary to show respect to their views. However, if there is fire in Iraq, those who started this fire should think about it. It is not the problem of Turkey to put out this fire. We have earlier said that if putting out this fire with the effort of all people jointly was considered within the scope of the United Nations, Turkey revises the position in such a case. Those who start the fire are obvious. The person who started the fire is in swamp now. It is not necessary for us to drown and burn in this swamp together. No Turkish soldier has a place in Najaf deserts. If people are willing to put out the fire in Iraq, they can start to send their relatives to Iraq. I tell this for the government.''
When asked to evaluate the criticisms saying that the Reassociation Law didn't fully reach its target, Haluk Koc said that the number of those persons who surrendered abroad within the scope of the law was 14, adding that ''there is nobody coming from outside, the majority of those who applied to benefit from the law are persons who are in prisons.''
Koc stated that CHP had earlier noted that millions of people who were forced to leave their homes had to return to their villages and ''returning home'' had to be taken up within the scope of that law. Koc added that this could only come true with social democracy, not with repentance law.
Koc noted that particularly the suspects of Sivas incidents and of Hezbollah organization, persons who were involved in various acts of terrorism and terrorist organizations were pleased with the law, adding that ''the perpetrators of assassinations launched against our intellectuals ask for reduction in punishment.''
(GC-Öª-AÖ) 11.08.2003