ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul explained the sensitivities of Turkey about Kirkuk during his meeting with Iraqi Shi'ite leader Abdulaziz al-Hakim's son Ammar al-Hakim in Ankara on Thursday.
Diplomatic sources said that Gul explained to Al-Hakim the reason of why he focused on Kirkuk by telling him that ''Kirkuk should be a symbol for permanent solution.''
Al-Hakim said in his part that they attributed special importance to Iraqi territorial integrity and that everybody favored political participation.
Sources noted that Al-Hakim said in the meeting that they would attribute importance to protect the rights and laws of the Turkmens and that they would not attach Kirkuk to one party.
Referring to the importance of further improvement of relations between the two peoples, Al-Hakim said that in addition to political and economic relations, cultural relations between Turkey and Iraq should also develop.
Al-Hakim said that Turkey had broad information about democratic culture and that they wanted to benefit from that.