ANKARA - Deputy Chief of Staff of the Turkish army Gen. Ilker Basbug said they expect the Iraqi Interim Government to prevent any change to Kirkuk's demographic structure.
''There is serious concern that developments on the contrary may threaten Iraq's territorial and political integrity and hamper the efforts to find a fair and lasting resolution to Kirkuk problem,'' he said.
He said, such a development is seen as a serious security problem for Turkey, adding that ''Kirkuk should be granted a special status''
Holding a press conference on Thursday, Basbug stressed that Turkey accorded great importance to the safeguard of Iraq's political unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. ''Iraq's territorial integrity is one of the most important corner stones of stability in Iraq and in the region,'' he said.
''It is believed that the handover of the sovereignty to Iraqis on June 28th, and the decision taken at the NATO Istanbul summit on training of Iraqi security forces would contribute to the stability and security in Iraq. Meanwhile some ethnic groups in Iraq continue to pursue their efforts to change the demographic structure of Kirkuk. The Law on the Provisional Administration has postponed the determination of Kirkuk's final status until a census be held in Iraq and adoption of the new Constitution,'' he said.
Basbug said, ''we expect the Iraqi Interim Government will spare no efforts to prevent a change in the demographic structure of Kirkuk. Such a development is seen as a serious security threat for Turkey. We think it is in the interest of all relevant sides to understand this clearly. To prevent eruption of very serious problems in the region, it is imperative to 'grant a special status to Kirkuk and preserve this structure'. Actually, Article 53 of the Law on the Provisional Administration underlines this special situation of Kirkuk,'' he said.
(MS-ULG) 08.07.2004