WASHINGTON - U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said on Friday that change of regime in Iraq would be very advantageous for Turkish economy in the long term.
Speaking in session of the U.S. House of Representatives Budgetary Committee, Wolfowitz said that Turkey would help itself if it helped them.
Wolfowitz noted that Turkey had reasons for feeling concern in the event of a clash in Iraq.
Turkey could face serious economic problems in the short term, Wolfowitz pointed out.
Wolfowitz said that Turkey was given some promises by them and by the Arabs during the 1991 Gulf War and that only a few of those promises were kept. Therefore, Turkey had certain concerns, Wolfowitz stated.
Wolfowitz said that he thought that they had to end the bargaining process and solve the issue.
Ending economic sanctions in Iraq would be beneficial for Turkey in the long term irrespective of what economic costs Turkey paid in the short term, Wolfowitz pointed out. Because, he said, there would not be any economic embargo after Saddam was gone.
Wolfowitz said that he wanted everybody to be ''cautious'' when talking about Turkey because ''they were at a very critical stage of the negotiations.'' He noted that everybody was in a tendency to use whatever he said for the goal he wanted to serve.
They could reach their target with or without Turkey, Wolfowitz noted. But, he said, they could reach their target more quickly, by paying less economic cost in the region, by causing less political uneasiness, and most importantly, by taking fewer risks by opening two fronts against Saddam Hussein instead of one front.
For those reasons, Wolfowitz said, the United States wanted a deal with Turkey.
Wolfowitz supposed that Turks were close to understanding that but they were coming to the end of the day.
Their common interests were in question, Wolfowitz added.
(BRC-AÖ) 28.02.2003