ANKARA, Nov 5 (AFP) - Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has urged US President George W. Bush to reconsider his country's foreign policy in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East as he prepares for another term in office.
"President Bush came out stronger in the elections and I think he can now reevaluate his foreign policy, beginning with Iraq and the Middle East," Gul was quoted as saying late Thursday by the Anatolia news agency. He spoke during a visit to Lisbon to open negotiations on Turkey's bid to join the European Union.
Gul said he did not expect any changes in Turkish American relations in light of Bush's reelection to the White House on Tuesday.
NATO member Turkey counts the United States as a key strategic ally, but bilateral relations were strained last year when Ankara refused permission for US forces to use its soil for invading Iraq.
The two countries have since largely mended fences, but Ankara remains uneasy over the ongoing turmoil in Iraq and fears that continued uncertainty in its southern neighbor may have a destabilizing impact on its own territories bordering Iraq, which are populated mainly by Kurds.
11/05/2004 09:40 GMT - AFP