NEW YORK - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, who is currently in New York to attend the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly, met Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Wednesday.
Speaking at the meeting, Zebari asked for Turkey's support regarding general elections in Iraq.
''We should hold the elections since the Iraqi people do not consider the current administration as their legitimate representatives. There is a lack of legitimacy. Election is the only way to remove it. Also, we think that the United Nations should increase its influence in Iraq,'' he said.
-INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE-
During the meeting, Zebari asked for Turkey's support to their efforts to turn the ''Regional Initiative on Iraq'' into an international conference with the participation of the G-8, the European Union (EU), the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), members of the United Nations Security Council and the neighboring countries with Iraq.
The Regional Initiative on Iraq was initiated in December of 2002 in an effort to prevent a likely war in this country. Later, the initiative was turned into a platform aiming to protect the regional countries from the impacts of the war. Following the war, the platform held meetings to discuss methods to assist Iraq in its rebuilding process.
On numerous occasions, Turkey stated that it considered the platform an opportunity to bring some countries, having problems to dialogue between them (like the United States and Iran), together.
Turkey is in favor of continuation of meetings of the Regional Initiative on Iraq.
-TURKEY'S UNEASINESS-
During the meeting, Gul reiterated Turkey's uneasiness about negative developments in Iraq such as efforts to change demographic structure in Kirkuk, conditions of Iraqi Turkmen people, lack of security of Turkish citizens working in Iraq, and presence of the terrorist organization PKK in Iraqi territories.
In response, Zebari told Gul that they also acknowledged the PKK a terrorist organization.
He said about security of Turkish citizens working in Iraq that the Iraqi government could not, unfortunately, control everything.
(UK-ULG) 23.09.2004