ISTANBUL - U.S. President George Bush expressed determination to protect Iraq's territorial integrity and stated that his country was cooperating with the Iraqi government to eradicate the terrorist organization PKK, sources said on Sunday.
Bush, who came to Turkey on Saturday, met with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkish capital of Ankara.
Following his meetings, Bush proceeded to Istanbul, where he would attend the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit opening on Monday and closing on Tuesday.
Bush, during his meetings in Ankara, thanked Turkey for its extraordinarily creative efforts to solve Cyprus issue.
U.S. President Bush said that Turkish Cypriots should no more be isolated and this fact should be acknowledged by others.
A U.S. official stated that Turkish officials expressed uneasiness about PKK's activities in Iraq and said that Turkey was very serious about this matter.
The same U.S. official said that the United States would cope with the terrorist organization, formerly named PKK and currently named KONGRA-GEL, with the support of Iraq.
The same official did not reply to a question on when the United States would take action against the terrorist organization PKK/KONGRA-GEL.
The U.S. official said that Turkey was a ''successful secular and democratic country with overwhelmingly Muslim population'', and added that Turkey, therefore, was a model which showed that Islam and democracy could co-exist.
U.S. President George Bush attended a dinner hosted by Turkish President Sezer in honor of heads of state and government participating in the NATO summit and their spouses at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.
At the dinner, Turkish President Sezer said, ''Turkey has pursued a foreign policy in line with new horizons and tried to support modernization efforts of regional countries thanks to its current close historical and cultural ties.''
Sezer noted, ''Turkey, which has played an effective role in all initiatives and operations launched by NATO to this end, is exerting efforts to use all possibilities in the most constructive way and ensure stability.''
''Our 26-member Alliance is undoubtedly the most successful of all similar organizations established throughout the history,'' Sezer added.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Sunday that they preferred NATO's inclusion to the coalition in Iraq.
Powell addressed the Youth Summit held in Istanbul.
Replying to a question, Powell said they observed that all of the members of NATO did not have the same views on Iraq.
(BRC-AY-AÖ) 28.06.2004