Türkiye's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul cautioned on Monday that partitioning Iraq into autonomous Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish zones would almost certainly trigger civil war and draw neighboring countries into the conflict.
Speaking at a breakfast event hosted by the American Turkish Society in New York, Gul called for preserving Iraq's territorial integrity and political unity, arguing that the sectarian violence already gripping the country posed dangers well beyond Iraq's borders.
He also warned that any such fragmentation would likely intensify resentment toward the US-led coalition, which would be held responsible for permitting the breakup.
Gul's remarks came as Iraqi Shiite, Kurdish, and Sunni Arab leaders gathered to consider a federalism bill introduced in parliament earlier in September by the United Iraqi Alliance, the dominant Shiite bloc.
Gul was in New York to attend the UN General Assembly debate, which was set to open the following day.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.