ANKARA - Iraqi National Congress (INC) Chairman Ahmed Celebi, who is currently in Ankara, said on Tuesday that they, as Iraqi opposition groups, wanted to send a delegation to Turkey and added that Turkey gave them a positive response.
Replying to questions of reporters after his meeting with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal, Celebi said that he and Ziyal discussed the latest developments in the region at the meeting.
Celebi said that he and Ziyal focused on possibilities for bringing relations with Turkey to the highest level.
Stating that they were in Turkey to improve friendly relations, Celebi said that they wanted to send a delegation as a representative of Iraqi opposition group to Turkey and discuss fields of common interest.
Celebi said that Turkish side gave positive response to their demand and stated that they were working on its details.
When asked what he thought about Turkish soldiers' entering Northern Iraq, Celebi said that the final declaration of the meeting of Iraqi opposition groups was ''very clear''.
Stressing that they wanted to be friend with Turkey, he said that dispatch of soldiers to Iraq was not to interests of both Turkey and Iraq. Celebi stated that their preference was in favor of an international coalition.
Upon another question, Celebi said that they received guaranty that Turkey had not any demand on territory from Iraq in his meeting with Ziyal.
He said that concerns of some groups in Northern Iraq were known and added that their duty was to decrease tension.
(EÖ-AÖ) 04.03.2003