Gul: Events Have Been Taken Under Control In Kirkuk

ANKARA - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Saturday that the incidents in Kirkuk were taken under control, noting that instability in the region would be bad for Iraq.
Speaking to Anadolu News Agency and TRT, Gul said that they were closely following the developments between Iraqi Turkmens and Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IKYB) members near Kirkuk and they also talked with Ankara representation of PUK and drew their attention.
Noting that he was in contact with Foreign Ministry all day and they also contacted with the United States upon his directions, Gul said that Americans took new measures, reinforced their forces in Kirkuk and detained some people there according to the information they recently obtained.
Gul said that they called officials and powers who have authority in the region to pay attention to the developments.
Gul said, ''we hope that tension will not escalate. Peace is provided in Kirkuk at the moment. Events have been taken under control. Examinations are being made. Nobody should give an opportunity to provocations. While we are saying there is peace in the north of Iraq, if some provocations bring instability there, this will be bad for Iraq. Thus, we, as Turkey, are very careful. We are closely following the developments especially about Iraqi Turkmens.''

ANKARA CLOSELY FOLLOWS DEVELOPMENTS IN KIRKUK
Foreign Ministry established contacts with all concerned circles following the developments in the region and Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul gave information to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the issue on Saturday.
Turkey launched initiatives and held contacts both in Ankara and Washington D.C. with American officials, while Gul was following the developments with concerned departments in the ministry. Following the contacts, the United States reinforced its forces in the region and took some additional measures to control the incidents.
While initiatives were also launched in Baghdad about the issue, Turkey also held contact with Ankara representation of Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IKYB). Ankara asked PUK to be more careful and noted that Turkey was closely following the developments and it did not approve them.
Diplomatic sources said that such provocative activities would not be beneficial for anybody in this sensitive period and they warned that those activities could harm the relative peace in north of Iraq.
ITC EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER BEYATLI:''LAST ATTACK SHOWS IMPORTANCE OF CHARGING OF TURKISH SOLDIERS IN REGION''
Dr. Aydýn Beyatlý, a member of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC) said on Saturday that the last attack on Turkmens in Kirkuk showed once again the importance of charging of Turkish soldiers in the region.
Speaking to A.A correspondent, Beyatlý said that two Turkmens died and many Turkmens were injured in the fire that was opened during the protest march which Iraqi Turkmens held in Kirkuk to protest the killing of seven Turkmens.
Beyatlý said that Iraqi Turkmens only wanted to inform the Kirkuk Governor's Office and U.S. military officials about the attacks on them and that they preferred very peaceful and democratic means to this end.
''But the aggressive Kurdish groups want to make the U.S. believe that U.S. soldiers should not leave Iraq by causing turmoil. This chaotic situation can only end by the deployment of Turkish soldiers in the region. Turkish soldiers' going to Iraq is the most important expectation of not only Turkmens, but also of Arabs, and Kurdish people who are uneasy about the developments. The four big Arab tribes which live in south and west of Kirkuk want Turkish soldiers as much as we do. The leaders of these tribes think that the incidents which happened to Turkmens today could also happen to them and they believe that the Turkish army could ensure peace,'' he said.
(GC-ÖÞ) 23.08.2003