NEW YORK - Turkey stated on Tuesday that the only solution in the Middle East was the ''road map.''
Turkey's Permanent Representative to United Nations (U.N.) Umit Pamir, who spoke in the meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Middle East and Palestinian issue, said that recent violence in the region forced the sides to meet in order to reach the targets set by the road map.
Pamir drew attention that ''the security barrier that Israel was building in West Bank was making the issue more complicated.''
Although Turkey could understand Israel's security concerns, Palestinian people would have to live as cantons which were separated from each other in case the wall was completed, Pamir said.
Pamir noted that the construction of barrier was crossing over the Palestinian territory and this lead to additional concerns.
Emphasizing that ''living conditions of Palestinian people should be bettered and priority should be given to such efforts,'' Pamir said that ''building of the mentioned barrier did not comply with the vision in the road map but it was a development which obstructed settlement of a fair and lasting peace in the region.''
Pamir added that ''Palestinian side should end the grounds for terrorism.''
(BRC) 15.10.2003