ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul denied on Wednesday claims that Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States had a torture center in Turkey.
Responding to a question with notice of Republican People`s Party (CHP) deputy Kemal Anadol, Gul said that a Turkish press organ published a news referring to an article of the New York Times.
Gul noted that the press organ claimed that CIA had torture centers in some countries including Turkey, but the mentioned article did not make any reference to Turkey.
``Turkey and the international community have been indignant towards inhumane treatment and torture against prisoners in its neighbor Iraq, and Turkish government has condemned these incidents. As I stated during my speech at the parliament on May 25th, these incidents aren`t in line with international law and universal values, and have left traces in our minds which are hard to be erased,`` Gul said.
Gul said, ``the U.S. administration has promised to probe these incidents, find and punish the responsible. We expect the United States to keep its commitments and also want justice to prevail as soon as possible.``
Replying to a question if the government was thinking of reviewing its Iraq policy in order not to be a part of inhumane behavior of coalition powers to Iraqi people, Gul said, ``our country, which pursues a foreign policy aiming at settlement of peace, stability and security in its geography, attaches great importance to developments in neighbor Iraq. Turkey wishes that Iraq should re-integrate with the international community as a prosperous country which has preserved its territorial integrity and political unity, which has ensured equality among all its citizens, which gives importance and priority to laws, and which is in harmony with its neighbors. And, therefore, Turkey will continue to strongly support the process of transfer of sovereignty to Iraqi people and to reconstruct this country.``
(BRC-AÖ) 14.07.2004