ISTANBUL - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey did not want to go to Iraq as police or gendarme and added that Turkish soldiers would help Iraqi people liked they had earlier helped people in Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Afghanistan.
Erdogan attended conference on ''Turkish-American relations'' which was held by Turkish-American Businessmen Association (TABA) at Ciragan Palace.
Erdogan emphasized that Turkey continuously said that territorial integrity and national unity of Iraq should be protected and natural resources of the country belonged to Iraqi nation.
Noting that today they had the same understanding, Erdogan said that a constitution should be made in Iraq.
Erdogan said, ''this constitution should be prepared with a pluralist understanding and with the participation of academicians, bureaucrats and non-governmental organizations. This constitution should not contradict with Iraq's own values.''
Erdogan said that Iraqi people should determine their own administration themselves, adding that if the ongoing process continued in Iraq for a long time, Iraqi people could start to long for Saddam.
Erdogan said that the United Nations could not show the expected performance in Iraq and it should be a leader. He added that Turkey, as the neighbor and friend of Iraq, would do its best in contribution to reconstruction period.
Noting that meetings with Americans and concerned officials continued with this aim, Erdogan said that the United States demanded Turkey to contribute to stability force that would be formed in Iraq to provide order and tranquility.
Erdogan said that they were evaluating the issue with all dimensions and General Staff Headquarters, government and Foreign Ministry sent delegations and some Iraqi delegations also came to Turkey. He added that negotiations would be made following the meetings and if it was necessary, the government would brought the issue to Parliament.
Erdogan said that while doing this, Turkey did not want to go to Iraq as a police or gendarme.
Emphasizing that Turkey-U.S. relations were alliance relations and they aimed to reach mutual interests, Erdogan said that the relations were so broad and long-term that they could not be reduced only to Iraq issue.
Erdogan said that members of the Iraqi governing council, who visited Turkey requested cultural, health and educational support from Turkey. ''We told them that we could go to Iraq only if Iraqi people requested us to go there and that we didn't have the intention to go to Iraq by pressure.''
ERDOGAN: IS IT TERROR ONLY WHEN THE TOWERS WERE HIT? ISN'T IT TERROR WHEN TOWERS IN OTHER COUNTRIES ARE HIT?''
Erdogan said that Turkey's major target in the following period was the EU summit which would be held in December 2004.
Stating that they believed that the decision on starting full membership negotiations with Turkey would be taken at this summit, he said that Turkey was grateful to the United States for its support on this issue and it also expected the United States to continue its support.
''We have completed adjustment packages. The last two packages are adjustment packages which made intellectual revolution in Turkey. The real step is to put them into practice. We are taking steps for it. We hope that Turkey will start negotiation process in December 2004,'' he stated.
Stating that a fact would appear with Turkey's full membership to the EU, Erdogan said, ''we don't want to justify Huntington who says that there will be clash of civilizations. But we say 'no.' I believe that EU will be an address of compromise of civilizations, not clash of civilizations. What will provide it? It will be through meeting Islamic culture with democracy and with accession of Turkey, which is a model of it, to the EU.''
Erdogan stressed that Turkey's accession to the EU would affect positively Islamic world's stance to the Union.
Stating that bringing civilizations together and compromise between civilizations was to take steps against terrorism, Erdogan said, ''but there is still not any step taken on this direction. Terror still continues. Can we stop it in the Middle East? Why can't we stop terrorism? I would like to say something that is sad but sincere to our U.S. friends: Is it terror only when towers in U.S. were hit? Isn't it terror when towers in other countries are hit? Turkey has lost its 40,000 people due to terrorism. But you don't assume an attitude against terrorist organization KADEK. PKK was a terrorist organization, now its name changed. People should assume an attitude against it. But this is not the case, it is impossible to understand it. We want to see similar things which are expected from us, in the stance of our friends. Because friendship requires loyalty. We have to put forward it. When it is put forward, we will see how things are solved.''
Erdogan said that they wanted to bring a concrete content to the relations between Turkey and the U.S.
Stressing that they wanted to further develop the economic, social and political relations between the two countries, Erdogan said that ''I would like to underline that upgrading commercial and economic relations between Turkey and the U.S. to the level of political and military relations is our basic target.''
Noting that the total trade volume with the U.S. in the year 2002 was 6.3 billion dollars, and that 3.3 billion dollars of that was Turkey's exports, Erdogan said that ''Turkey has to export more products to a country like the U.S. and the U.S. had to make more investments in Turkey.''
Erdogan noted that taking steps about qualified industry regions were delayed, adding that ''this has to be done. The U.S. which gives this opportunity to other friendly countries in the world also has to give this opportunity to Turkey.''
Erdogan stated that the total amount of U.S. capital which entered Turkey between 1980-2002 amounted to 4 billion dollars, adding that ''this is a funny figure. It does not reflect the level which Turkey deserves.''
Erdogan stated that more foreign capital could come to the U.S. with the legal regulations they undertook for improving investment environment.
ERDOGAN: FRIENDSHIP AND ALLIANCE RELATIONS OF TURKEY AND THE UNITED STATES HAVE SOUND BASIS IN SPITE OF SOME DIFFICULTIES
Erdogan said that Turkey and the United States, which were two members of a democratic and free world, shared a rooted and important partnership. He added that the importance which was attributed to democracy, freedom, human rights and supremacy of law were the basic values that connected countries to each other in a period of rapid changes.
Erdogan said that Turkey and the United States acted jointly not only in the issues of defense and security, but also in developing human rights, democracy and market economy.
Erdogan said that two countries had a close cooperation during Gulf Crisis, that threatened the world peace and security, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo problems.
Erdogan said, ''in spite of difficulties which were experienced from time to time, the friendship and alliance relation between two countries had a sound basis. Some problems between two countries which have their own systems should be accepted normal. It is a fact that Turkey had some difficulties from time to time due to conflicts stemming from political effects of lobbies against Turkey in U.S. Congress.''
''The United States should accept that Turkey has a sensitive public opinion on international problems and has its own democratic system which is shaped by balances formed by Parliament, free press and opposition,'' noted Erdogan.
Noting that it was necessary to consider the future, not the past, under the light of the issues formed after the war in Iraq, Erdogan said that what should be done rapidly in Iraq was to restore security and public order, to provide life and property assurance of people and to meet the basic needs. He added that desired progress could not be made in those fields and nobody had the right to act slowly.
Erdogan said that Turkey's assistance to Iraq was continuing with humanitarian aid and added that the biggest step after meeting humanitarian needs and providing security and stability would be to turn over the administration gradually to Iraqi people.
Erdogan said that many developments were followed together and sometimes everybody got tired. He added that what they heard every day was even a little step could not be taken yet regarding the problems in water and electricity supply, infrastructure and roads. He said that if Turkey, which was close neighbor of Iraq, undertook an important mission within the demand of Iraqi people, Iraq would gain the opportunity to catch the expected modern, contemporary and democratic period rapidly.

(EÖ-Öª) 13.09.2003