ANKARA - Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has reacted to statement of Patriotic Union of Iraqi Kurdistan (PUK) high-level official Berham Salih who claimed that Kirkuk was a Kurdish city.
Dirioz, who has been appointed as the Turkish Ambassador to Jordan, held a press conference on Wednesday for the last time as the spokesman of MFA.
Upon a question about statement of Salih, Dirioz told reporters, ''the situation of Kirkuk is clear. The greatest evidence of it was the reaction displayed by all Iraqi groups against attempts to claim Kirkuk. We all see that those who are charged with providing security in the city, have been giving an extremely bad exam. We see that even those who claimed to be the most democratic groups in Iraq could not endure a demonstration.''
Responding a question about news stories claiming that Kurdish groups in the region first united and then divided, Dirioz said, ''the most important thing is that they should work for territorial integrity and unity of Iraq.''
In an interview with the private NTV Channel, Salih claimed that Kirkuk was a Kurdish city and they were ready to resort to a referendum if it was necessary.
(UK-AY) 14.01.2004