ANKARA - U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman, responding to a question why the United States had not taken concrete step regarding terrorist organization PKK presence in northern Iraq, said on Thursday that that there were many duties that U.S. forces should fulfil in Iraq and they could not fulfil all duties at one time.
Edelman visited True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar on Thursday.
Following the meeting, Edelman told reporters that contacts between Turkish and U.S. officials on the issue would continue.
Edelman said that he was sure that they could progress as long as both sides had good will.
He had the opportunity to take up bilateral relations in a wide perspective in his meeting with Agar, Edelman stated.
Edelman said that they talked about fight against terrorism and cooperation in war and reviewed efforts to be exerted to further improve bilateral relations in their meeting.
Asked why the United States had not yet taken a concrete step regarding PKK presence in northern Iraq and what Turkey and Washington was bargaining, Edelman said that the United States was beside Turkey and PKK-KADEK was included in the list of terrorist organizations.
Edelman pointed out that two countries cooperated in operation to bring Abdullah Ocalan, the head of the terrorist organization, to Turkey.
The United States included KADEK in the list of terrorist organizations shortly after the terrorist organization was formed, Edelman said.
Edelman noted that they press on their friends in Europe to do the same thing.
Therefore, Edelman said, it would be right to make a decision about their ongoing talks on the terrorist organization PKK by considering the cooperation between two countries and their determination to fight against terrorism.
Stating that U.S. President George Bush's commitment about the issue was very obvious, Edelman said that terrorism stemming from Iraq would be ended irrespective of its target.
Edelman noted that there were some duties that the U.S. forces should fulfil in Iraq, adding that those forces could not fulfil all duties at one time.
Pointing out that they had a meeting with their Turkish colleagues which lasted more than seven hours last Friday, Edelman said that it was a beginning.
Edelman said that it was the beginning of how they would act from now on.
Their talks would continue in coming days, Edelman said.
Asked how he could explain meeting of several U.S. officials in northern Iraq with members of an organization included in the list of terrorist networks, Edelman said that he did not know about such a meeting.
When a reporter recalled that former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Robert Pearson had stated that Turkish government was informed about the meeting, Edelman said that he did not know that Pearson made such a statement and if he did so, he would like to see the text of his statement.
(BRC-AÖ) 18.09.2003