NEW YORK - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said that Turkey would go to Iraq on the condition that it was to help shorten occupation there.
Gul met with President of the Iraqi Interim Governing Council Ahmad Chalabi, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and Council member Adnan Pacaci in New York.
Following the meeting, Gul said that friendship between Turkish and Iraqi peoples should not be harmed and stated, ''I said that we want Iraq to be governed by Iraqi people. The region's reaching stability and establishment of a democratic administration in Iraq is to the interest of Turkey. I informed them about what Turkey has done so far. I also said that they should assess those things and they should gain friendship of Turkey.''
Chalabi and Zebari who made statement after the meeting defended the view that ''Iraq's internal security could only be provided by Iraqi people.''
Chalabi and Zebari said that negotiations on dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq were continuing and stated that international power could only provide external security of Iraq. They also said that Iraqi people did not want foreign powers to come to the region, but they wanted powers who had come to Iraq to leave there.
Stating that they had close contacts with Turkish government about Turkish soldiers, Chalabi and Zebari said that the issue was being discussed in both Turkish government and also Iraqi Interim Governing Council.
Zebari said that a solution which would be found on dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq should be satisfactory for Turkish government, Governing Council and coalition.
Pacaci said that they always appreciated Turkey's attitude defending sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq.
(EÖ-AÖ) 22.09.2003