IZMIR - National Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said on Saturday, ''we do not consent to transformation of actual formation in Northern Iraq to an official formation.''
Responding to questions of reporters, Cakmakoglu said that ''outlines'' of Turkey's Iraqi policy were ''obvious.''
Reminding reporters that Iraq was Turkey's neighbour, Cakmakoglu said, ''we are sensitive about the security through our border line with Iraq especially in the region where our Turkmen kinsmen are living and about sheltering of terrorist organization PKK-KADEK from time to time in that region. We are pursuing a policy about our Turkmen kinsmen other than the security and defense dimensions of the issue. All authorities have stated that we are against efforts to make the actual structure in Northern Iraq official.''
Cakmakoglu noted that Turkey did not find a probable operation on Iraq right and that this was notified to Iraqi and U.S. administrations.
''We are telling Iraq that it should fully abide by the U.N. Security Council resolutions. We are telling it that it should permit inspection of mass destructive weapons, chemical weapons, and missiles. We are making suggestions and recommendations about this issue for months. In the end, Iraqi administration said that it was open to that inspection,'' Cakmakoglu said.
Cakmakoglu continued, ''we are telling our friend United States that it should give an opportunity to Iraq which has accepted the inspection. Secondly, we do not consent to transformation of actual formation in Northern Iraq into an official structure. News that Barzani and Talabani will unite, news that region which has belonged to Turkmens and Turks for a long time like Kirkuk will be included in this new formation lead to our reactions. We will never accept it.''
''We are telling that 'be an intervenor and prevent it.' Turkish officials' taking measures against probable developments is in question. We know that officials are working on these issues, ''Cakmakoglu added.