Erdogan: Kurds Have Been Trying To Take Oil Reserve Areas In The North Under Their Influence

ANKARA - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, ''Kurds in Iraq have been trying to take oil reserve areas in the north under their influence thinking that their influence would decrease as of June. We should not allow them. Their dangerous attempt should not be allowed.''
Prime Minister Erdogan met on Wednesday with Iraqi interim Governing Council member and Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) Chairman Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim.
Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Erdogan said, ''the U.S.-led operation against Iraq had not started yet during the previous visit of Al-Hakim to Turkey. During that visit, Turkey made a statement attributing importance to Iraq's territorial integrity. Later, the operation started. At the end of the operation, the regime of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was overthrown. Iraq has suffered serious loss. Now, all ethnic groups in Iraq should act together. They should not allow ethnic or religious discriminations. We have been monitoring efforts of two Kurdish groups to benefit from the existing situation in Iraq for their own purposes. We do not approve of these efforts.''
Stating that Iraqi government which would be formed at the end of June 2004 was very important, Erdogan said that Kurds in Iraq have been trying to take oil reserve areas in the north under their influence thinking that their influence would decrease as of June. Erdogan said that it should not be allowed and added that their dangerous attempt should be prevented.
Erdogan said that they always said that Iraqi people should determine the future of Iraq and stated, ''but, if Iraq is moving towards a division, neighbors become intervener. Syria and Iran also think in that way. I say intimately that we attach great importance to Iraq's living freely. Division in Iraq means instability for us. Your happiness is our stability.''
Stating that Turkey extended every kind of aid to Iraq and it would continue to do so, Erdogan said that Turkey could increase its foodstuff and energy aid to this country.
Erdogan said that Turkey had projects to build two hospitals, one in Kirkuk and the other in Baghdad and stated that foundation of hospital in Baghdad was laid, but no other development was recorded after it.
Erdogan said that railway between Nusaybin-Kamisli-Mosul would be activated.
Al-Hakim said that they shared similar views on those issues with Erdogan and stated that they wanted Iraqi people to be in integrity. Al-Hakim said that all groups in Iraq should have equal status and added that they expected Turkey's aid to preparation of constitution and formation of administration in Iraq.
(UK-EÖ-MS) 14.01.2004