ANKARA - Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission Chairman Mehmet Dulger said on Friday that a delegation from the U.S. House of Representatives visited him and wondered when the second motion would be submitted.
Dulger said that they told the delegation that they would wait for the resolution of the United Nations and would seek for peace until the last moment.
Dulger, who released a statement after receiving the delegation and U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Robert Pearson, said that he explained Turkey's approach to the Iraq issue and told about the differences between the United States and Turkey at the meeting. He said that he told them Turkey would certainly seek for peace until the last moment.
Noting that the delegation told him that the friendship between Turkey and the United States were very rooted and a solution must be found, Dulger said that they asked whether Turkey considered the issue deficient in the aspect of legitimacy and he replied them as the legitimacy could be discussed, but Turkey's Constitution was clear and sought legitimacy and Turkey had to act in line with the Constitution.
Dulger said that he told delegation that Turkey would wait for the resolution of the United Nations, but the delegation did not say anything in return. He added that he told the delegation Turkey's approach to Iraq issue and told them that the United States should be very careful.
Dulger said, ''when it is examined carefully, the vote given to motion was 'yes'. But it was an insufficient yes. If Turkey will be careful with the statements of the United States on the issue, the United States should also pay attention what those votes included.''
He added that this issue divided European Union (EU) and NATO into two and also formed two separate groups at the Turkish Parliament which meant that there was a resistance against American approach.
(GC-UK) 08.03.2003