AMMAN - Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc said on Thursday that the meeting of the parliament speakers of countries neighbor to Iraq held in Jordan was very fruitful.
After the meeting, Arinc told reporters that he supported the joint statement issued at the end of the meeting.
He expressed his views about issues mentioned in the statement, Arinc said.
Arinc noted that all the delegations appreciated the statement.
Turkey was one of the closest countries to Iraq, Arinc stated.
Arinc said that all the participants made significant statements about how Iraq's problems could be solved through peaceful methods.
He enabled Turkey's proposals about new methods for solution of Iraq's problems to be included in the final statement, Arinc stated.
Arinc said that such meetings had started in the level of foreign ministers by Turkey's initiative for the first time.
The fifth meeting was held in Kuwait, Arinc stated.
Arinc noted that the meeting held in Jordan was the first meeting held in the level of parliament speakers.
Participants had stated that the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) could undertake an important role in Iraq's reconstruction, Arinc pointed out.
Arinc said that participants had listed initiatives to be launched to enable Iraq's self-determination and to ensure a democratic administration in Iraq and expressed belief that the meeting would have an important role in Iraq's reconstruction.
Replying to a question about initiatives to exclude the expression ''terrorist groups'' from the draft final statement, Arinc said that Turkey had paid attention to that article since it was related with the infiltration of some terrorist and armed groups in Iraq in neighbor countries.
Arinc said that Turkey thought that any attack from Iraq to Turkey, Iran or any other country might deteriorate security of neighboring countries.
''Therefore, participants stated that it would be more appropriate to exclude the expression 'terrorist groups' and to write 'all armed groups.' Egypt, Syria and Jordan commented that that expression might cover rebel groups in Iraq, but this opinion was not accepted. We made a concrete objection. We expressed our view that activity of armed groups should be prevented whether or not their activity is considered a terrorist activity,'' Arinc added.
Arinc, who delivered a speech at the meeting on Wednesday, called on Iraqi people to join their forces, leaving aside their ethnic and sectarian thoughts.
Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc also said that all neighboring and regional countries to Iraq should undertake responsibility for democratization, security and stability of Iraq.
Parliament speakers of Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Turkey attended the two-day meetings.
Representatives of the United Nations, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union were also in attendance.
(BRC-AÖ) 13.05.2004