ANKARA - Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Saturday, ''Iraq also has a great responsibility to find a peaceful solution to the issue of Iraq. We will scrutinize everything with regional countries and try to expend efforts to provide a coordination to find a peaceful solution without a military operation.''
Addressing journalists at Ankara's Esenboga Airport prior to his departure for Syrian capital Damascus, Prime Minister Gul said, ''we planned a tour to regional countries to find a peaceful solution to the issue of Iraq. Under this plan, I will pay visits to Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Now, I am about to leave for Syria. Tomorrow, I will pay a visit to Egypt. And, I will go to Jordan on Sunday. The date of my visit to Saudi Arabia has not become certain yet. I also plan to visit Iran in the coming days. All these visits aim at finding a peaceful solution to the tension in our region.''
''Turkey is the essential factor in this region. It is one of the most important countries. Naturally, it cannot be indifferent to developments. Therefore, we have to assess opportunities of finding a peaceful solution to prevent a possible military operation against Iraq, and to exhaust diplomatic ways. Therefore, we planned a tour to regional countries. In fact, it was understood from statements of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, U.S. President George W. Bush and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that the crisis could be resolved without launching a military operation. We should exhaust all ways to find a peaceful solution. We should expend efforts to this end. Iraq also has a great responsibility to find a peaceful solution to the issue of Iraq. It should abide by resolutions of the United Nations. Therefore, Iraq's contribution to finding a peaceful solution is more important than contributions of the other countries,'' he said.
Prime Minister Gul continued, ''during our visits, we will hold contacts with leaders of regional countries. We will exchange views to find a peaceful solution. We will scrutinize everything with regional countries and try to expend efforts to provide a coordination to find a peaceful solution without a military operation.''
''As all of us are a country in this region, each country is extending efforts according to its own way of thinking and standards. Continuation of these efforts within coordination will absolutely be very effective. And it is important that we start this tour by visiting Syria first. With this respect, relations between Turkey and Syria will absolutely be reviewed. In recent days, relations between Turkey and Syria have reached very good levels. It is very natural for two neighboring countries to bring their relations to further levels. We have to forget the past and focus on the future.''
Responding a question which said, ''the United States sent thousands of soldiers to the region. Are you hopeful about your visits that you are going to pay during this dispatch?'' Gul said that the crisis in the region had not started recently. Noting that important developments happened in the region, Gul said that the United States assembled important number of military forces especially in the south of Iraq.
''These are not secret any more. Undoubtedly, the process continues rapidly. The U.N. Security Council's experts in Iraq, experts who investigate weapons of mass destruction, will present their final report on January 26. So these are critical days. Prior to these critical days, I think my visits will be very important. As the countries in the region, we will altogether review everything, work on different opinions and try to provide coordination for solution of this problem without a war,'' he said.
When recalled of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan's words about a coalition formed by Muslim countries for solution of the problem without a war and asked whether or not Erdogan's opinion would be taken up during his visits, Gul said that he did not know about such a statement by Erdogan.
Noting that these opinions had been reflected in different ways, Gul said that Turkey should prepare itself against every kind of scenario.
Stressing that this problem should be solved peacefully and without a war, Gul said, ''a war does negatively affect this region. Impacts of a war would be very hazardous for Turkey.''
''A possible war will affect Turkey negatively since it is one of the most important countries in the region. Therefore, we should expend more efforts than the other regional countries. As I said before, we should exhaust all diplomatic ways.''