ANKARA - Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that the 58th government contributed to prevention of a possible war which might break out during the Feast of Sacrifice.
Addressing the parliamentary group meeting of his party, Erdogan said that the world memorized the date Feb. 18, 2003, adding ''this date is the date on which all world peoples, who want peace rather than war, focused.''
''I would like to share with the public opinion the developments about the issue which is high on the agenda which concerns everybody. I would like to state first of all that: If today our country together with the whole Islam world didn't spend the feast of sacrifice in an atmosphere of war, the 58th government has contributed to that significantly. I would like to thank everybody who contributed to solution of the Iraqi crisis without war on behalf of my nation,'' Erdogan said.
Erdogan stated that Feb. 18 was considered by the public opinion, media and the U.S. as if it was the last date for Turkey for giving a decision, adding that ''but as you see, even if today is Feb. 18, the motion on sending Turkish soldiers abroad and coming of foreign soldiers to Turkey has not been submitted to the parliament. This shows that nothing operates mechanically. As it is known, the language of diplomacy is very delicate due to that reason. I would also like to state that the thing important for us is not certain dates, but the form of developments.''
Erdogan said, ''you have two options now. Either you will stay out of the process, or you will play an active role in history's taking a shape. Our priority is Turkey under every condition.''
Erdogan who assessed the developments on Iraqi issue said that it was not possible to act without thinking of what would be done, how it would be done and why it would be done in the tradition of Turkish state.
Erdogan noted, ''we are taking into consideration everything. We are taking every steps by considering yesterday, today and tomorrow.''
Addressing deputies of AK Party, Erdogan noted, ''you are face to face with a significant responsibility for history now. I am sure that you are aware of it.''
Erdogan said that very few number of parliaments in the world knew the meaning of the war and peace as much as the Turkish parliament.
Erdogan said, ''there may be developments which will determine course of history with respect to Turkey, our region and the world in coming days.''
''Populism is the most dangerous component on that point. Our feelings belong to us and they are not independent from our thoughts. All of you know that we want to discuss those conditions with the world. We won't surrender ourselves to populism. We have to think of our future,'' Erdogan added.
Erdogan said that any sensible person would not want war and they could never favor war.
Erdogan noted that they would not be the beginner or inciter of that war.
''Our responsibility is to prevent this war and ensure a permanent peace. This is what our government and other institutions have done so far. If an action is in question beside us despite all our efforts and good will and if a fire breaks out in our neighbor, nobody can say that everybody should deal with its own fire and it does not concern him. We should prevent the fire from spreading our home and then extinguish the fire. We have to calculate how many lives we can save in this fire if this fire is to burn the house of our neighbor,'' said Erdogan.
Erdogan stated that nobody should hope to gain interests from this tragedy and said, ''we have never been in such an understanding and will never be.''
Countries and people exerted efforts to settle peace in order not to damage Turkey's future by a possible war, Erdogan said.
Erdogan noted, ''we do in no way want to be in a hot clash. We do neither want our soldiers to fire a bullet nor we want anybody to attack on our soldiers.''
They did not give any unilateral promise or make any commitment, including a date like February 18, Erdogan said.
Erdogan noted that neither he nor the prime minister or other officials made any unilateral commitment as implied by some circles or especially by opposition parties.
They were exerting utmost efforts in the negotiations and would continue to do so, Erdogan stated.
Erdogan said that they had a responsibility to make an explanation to the history and added, ''it is not possible for us to say yes to anything, the necessity of which we don't believe, and anything which we cannot explain to our people.''
Erdogan said that Turkey and the U.S. had strategic partnership.
''If we are going to work together, if our support has a meaning and absolute necessity for the United States, then the United States needs to keep in mind our sensitivities and greet our requests with good intentions,'' Erdogan told the party group meeting.
''We have in no way made a single one-sided pledge of commitment, including the date of February 18,'' Erdogan stressed, adding that ''we launched and we will launch maximum efforts to carry out the things in line with our own realities,'' he said.
''It is not possible for us to accept anything which we don't approve, which we don't believe as necessary or which we can't explain to our people,'' Erdogan stressed.
''In some media organs, it is claimed that we gave certain promises earlier, they should prove these claims. If not, they will bear the consequences of that. Such news is not true. If it was true, the feast of sacrifice would not take place in this peaceful atmosphere. This should be known. Yes, United States of America is the strategic partner of Turkey, but if we are going to work together with the U.S., if our support has a meaning and absolute necessity for the United States, then the United States needs to keep in mind our sensitivities and greet our requests with good intentions. If not, partnership and friendship turns into one side's giving sacrifices all the time and this can't be accepted.''
''Turkey has been experienced in state affairs for centuries. Also, Turkey has a common history and destiny with its neighbor Iraq as with all other regional countries. Therefore, every step that Turkey will take has to be a step in the light of all these facts, by considering the issue in regard to history, and in compliance with the understanding of future world. Our efforts to establish the future world on justice and peace will continue.''
''Nobody should expect a decision or stance from Turkey which is indexed on temporary problems and bottleneck. Nobody should expect us to mortgage Turkey's past, today and future due to these temporary problems by trying to get a favorable result from the temporary and conjunctural conditions.''
Erdogan said that the decision made by parliament on renovation of bases and ports should not be considered that Turkey had set off on an irreversible path of support and added that will of Parliament represented Turkey.
Noting that government considered the issue in every aspects, Erdogan said that determination to take the best decision for the future of country, region and the world was continuing.
Emphasizing that Turkey was an important country, not a tribe, Erdogan said that Turkey had a state experience depending on centuries and added that they would carry on their efforts to establish the world of future on justice and peace.
Erdogan said that it was declared in the summit meeting of European Union (EU) on Monday that they supported Turkey in its initiative with Egypt and neighbors of Iraq. He added that the declaration would probably be effective for those who undervalued Turkey's peace initiatives.
Noting that Turkey's struggle for peace would continue until the last moment, Erdogan said that they would not take a step which would endanger the future of people and country.
18.02.2003