ANKARA - National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said on Thursday that the government examined with a positive approach the issue on meeting the helicopter demand of NATO Secretary General George Robertson for Afghanistan.
Gonul received the same day U.S. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace and U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman.
Speaking in the meeting, Gonul said that the visit of Pace was important for Turkey, Pace had contacts in General Staff and he would also meet with Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok.
Noting that the relations between Turkey and the U.S. were very important not only in respect of diplomacy and commerce, but also in respect of military, Gonul said that the intensive relations between the two countries continued for at least half a century. Gonul said they would exchange views about important issues that concerned Turkey and the U.S. with General Pace.
General Pace expressed condolences due to the terrorist attacks in Istanbul, adding that the U.S. would continue to follow terrorists and find them wherever they were. Pace noted that they would also discuss what could be done for the well-being of Turkey and the U.S. with Turkish officials.
When reporters reminded Gonul about the news telling that NATO asked Turkey to provide three helicopters to be used in Afghanistan, Gonul said that Turkey had earlier commanded ISAF successfully. Turkey withdrew many of its soldiers from Afghanistan after it handed over the command there, Gonul recalled, adding that there was only a symbolic number of Turkish soldiers left in Afghanistan for the moment. The military task in Afghanistan was a NATO task, he said.
NATO Secretary General Robertson asked for help from NATO members to provide helicopters to Afghanistan during the NATO meeting, Gonul said adding that ''we examine with a positive approach the demand of NATO Secretary General as Turkey is a member of NATO. We launch efforts to do what can be done.''
Upon a question, General Pace said that the U.S. understood how important the PKK/KADEK terrorism for Turkey. Noting that PKK and KADEK were terrorist organizations which were known in the world, Pace said that even if they changed their name, their leader was terrorist. General Pace noted that they would continue to search for ways to fight with terrorism, adding that there were many ways to bring terrorists to justice. These ways were financial, political and economical, he added.
GENERAL STAFF: -''DURING VISIT OF GENERAL PACE, THE SIDES HAVE REACHED A CONSENSUS THAT FIGHT AGAINST ALL TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD BE MAINTAINED''
The General Staff has said that during two-day visit of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman General Peter Pace, the sides had attributed a special importance to fight against terrorism, especially against terrorist organization of PKK/KONGRA-GEL.
Releasing a statement on Thursday, the General Staff said, ''the sides have reached a consensus that fight against all terrorist organizations, whatever their sources, targets and methods are, should be maintained. The sides also agreed on methods of this fight.''
''During General Pace's two-day visit to Turkey, the sides have exchanged views over military relations between Turkey and the United States; NATO's transformation and developments in command-control arrangements; regional security; and settlement of stability and security in Iraq,'' the statement added.
(UK-Öª) 04.12.2003