ISTANBUL - The joint declaration issued after the Regional Initiative on Iraq-Foreign Ministers Meeting said on Thursday that war should not become an option to resolve this crisis.
Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis read out the joint declaration in a press conference held together with foreign ministers who attended the meeting.
The declaration said, ''the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Turkey have met today to express our common resolve for attaining a peaceful solution to the Iraqi issue. The specter of war in Iraq is looming large. The countries of this region do no wish to live through yet another war and all its devastating consequences. War should not become an option to resolve this crisis. The Iraqi people have suffered most from two consecutive wars and the entire region remains plagued by the resultant political uncertainties and economic contractions ensuing from these wars for over two decades. We therefore solemnly call on the Iraqi leadership to move irreversibly and sincerely towards assuming their responsibilities in restoring peace and stability in the region.''
''To this end, we request Iraq
- to continue cooperation with the UNMOVIC and the IAEA and to demonstrate a more active approach in providing Iraq's inventory of information and material concerning her capabilities of weapons of mass destruction in full conformity with the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council Resolution 1441,
- to confirm its commitments under relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions regarding ongoing monitoring and verification,
- to embark on a policy that will unambiguously inspire confidence to Iraq's neighbors, and to respect internationally recognized boundaries in accordance with the existing treaties and agreements and to resolve outstanding issues with Iraq's neighbors,
- to take firm steps towards national reconciliation that would preserve the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Iraq,'' the joint declaration stressed.
The joint declaration continued, ''we are fully determined to support the territorial integrity and national unity of Iraq. This determination, coupled with the guarantee contained in the relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, serves as a solid assurance for the Iraqi people to build a future in security, freedom and prosperity. The U.N. Security Council, acting on behalf of the entire U.N. membership in accordance with Article 24 of the Charter of the U.N. is entrusted primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The Security Council is thus fully seized with the task of determining the state of Iraq's compliance with its resolutions and ensuring their full implementation. Therefore, the involvement of the U.N. Security Council in the process must be full, inclusive and persistent. This involvement must also be in full recognition of the need to fulfil the objectives of the ongoing inspections.''
''The Iraqi issue is a multilateral one, first and foremost affecting the whole region. It is therefore incumbent upon the U.N. Security Council to act in full recognition of this regional perspective put forth by us. We stand ready to cooperate with the Security Council in its pursuit of a peaceful solution. We would finally like to reaffirm that the actions to be taken by Iraq will represent a step towards the goal of establishing in the Middle East a zone free from weapons of mass destruction, as stated in U.N. Security Council resolution 687. We also remain committed to the peaceful solution of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of all relevant U.N. resolutions to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East,'' the joint declaration read out.
The joint declaration added, ''we agree that this initiative in Istanbul by the regional countries is a process that has as its immediate objective the peaceful solution of the crisis in Iraq. Moreover, this initiative will continue until issues in our region are resolved, as well as ensuring peace, security and prosperity for all. We, the Foreign Ministers of the invited countries, expressed our thanks to the Republic of Turkey for hosting this meeting. We all announce our agreement to convene our next meeting when required in Damascus.''

YAKIS: MEETING IN ISTANBUL AIMS TO BRING A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO IRAQI ISSUE
Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said late on Thursday that the aim of the meeting held with Turkey's initiative was to bring a peaceful solution to Iraqi issue and noted, ''everything said at the meeing aimed to reach peace through peaceful means in Iraq.''
Yakis held a joint press conference with foreign ministers who attended the ''Regional Initiative on Iraq-Foreign Ministers Meeting'' in Istanbul.
Foreign Minister Yakis said that the meeting was held with Turkey's initiative and the aim was to bring a peaceful solution to Iraqi issue.
Yakis noted that Prime Minister Abdullah Gul paid a visit to Middle Eastern countries and stressed that all those countries, except Egypt, were neighbours to Iraq.
''Prime Minister Gul demanded continuation of these visits after he had returned to Turkey. The aim of this meeting was to convey a message to Iraq, ask Iraq to abide by United Nations (U.N.) resolutions and find a peaceful solution to the issue without a need for an operation,'' Yakis said.
Yakis stated that the meeting was held ''in a quite friendly atmosphere'' and pointed out that they had earlier planned to hold this meeting as a summit.
''But, the friendly countries who attended the meeting stated that it would be more correct to hold this meeting in the level of foreign ministers. Under the decision taken at this meeting, a decision will be made when required and a meeting will be held in which level it is required,'' Yakis added.
YAKIS: ''OUR MAIN MESSAGE IS DIRECTED TO IRAQ''
Responding to questions of reporters ''if there was an attribution to the United States in the declaration,'' Yakis said, ''no, we drew all our attention to cooperation with Iraq. We wanted a cooperation between the United Nations (U.N.) and Iraq. Our main message is directed to Iraq.''
Yakis noted that whether or not to invite Kuwait to the meeting was discussed at the meeting and said, ''we thought that Prime Minister Abdullah Gul did not visit Kuwait when he was touring the countries which attended this meeting. Therefore, Kuwait did not attend this meeting. It can be invited to a future meeting. We have informed Kuwait about this meeting and our contacts continue. The country which will host the following meeting will decide whether or not to invite Kuwait.''
Asked what the situation of those six countries would be if the United States attacked on Iraq before awaiting a U.N. resolution, Yakis said, ''most probably, we will convene again and discuss the situation. This will be our approach.''
When asked if they discussed the issue of taking Saddam Hussein from his office, Yakis said that this issue was not included on their agenda.
Upon a question if they could think of sending the joint delegation to Baghdad, Yakis said, ''we don't have an idea to send a delegation to Baghdad. We are sure that Iraqi officials are getting this message at this moment.''
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said that they were focused on a peaceful solution and noted that they would inform all the concerned parties.
Maher stated that they were trying to show everybody the importance of a peaceful solution within the framework of U.N. Security Council resolutions and added that a meeting would be held if required.
Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said that the philosophy of the meeting was to do their best.
Kharrazi pointed out that the meeting aimed to avoid a war thought to be made by the United States.
They had to convince the U.S. authorities, Kharrazi said.
Kharrazi noted that they could only try to convince others at the moment. Stating that the stance of the European Union (EU) and other countries was the same, Kharrazi said that the U.N. had to constitute a decision-making center.
YAKIS: THEIR DUTY IS TO CONVEY A MESSAGE TO IRAQI AUTHORITIES
Responding to questions of reporters if ''possibility of sending Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein into exile to avoid a war came onto the agenda'', Yakis said, ''no, this possibility was discussed neither during preparations nor during the meeting of the foreign ministers of six regional countries.''
Asked if they had a message to the United States outside the declaration, Yakis said, ''you are right to be curious about what kind of a message can be sent to the United States. When this draft is being prepared, a U.N. inspectors report is also prepared. Our duty is to convey a message to Iraqi authorities. The aim is a full harmony among them. We focused on this. We focused on sending a message to Iraqi authorities. The report of inspectors will be presented to the Security Council on January 27. They should not have any doubts that the Iraqi authorities will not cooperate with them. We will see the developments after the report is submitted. The decision of the Security Council is important.''
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, responding to a question if he could detail the call for a compromise in the joint declaration, said that they had to read the whole sentence.
Maher noted that they priorily foresaw territorial integrity and sovereingty of Iraq.
A national compromise was necessary for protection of the territorial integrity, Maher pointed out and proposed that reporters should read the whole sentence.
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara said that they would see the developments after the report of inspectors was submitted to the Security Council.
Al-Shara stated that they could meet again either under the auspices of the U.N. or in their region if necessary.
The declaration was very clear and a clear message was given, al-Shara noted.
Al-Shara pointed out that their message and solidarity aimed at a peaceful solution.
They did not foresee a military operation but they reject it, al-Shara said.
Al-Shara noted that the Security Council was responsible for implementing the U.N. resolution 1441 and that this did not require finding a pretext to declare a war against Iraq.
Everything would be made within the framework of Security Council resolutions and they would be a side to implementation of the resolutions, al-Shara said.
Al-Shara stressed that they would avoid war by doing their best and they were trying to find a peaceful solution to Iraqi crisis. He added that the region could not tolerate a war again.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Maher stated that the declaration was a well-prepared one and said that it gave message of peace to concerned parties. Maher said that it was giving a message of refraining from any clash and added they had taken that decision to contribute to regional peace.