NEW YORK - Turkey's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (U.N.) Umit Pamir has said that Turkey had no intention of entering Iraq.
Speaking at the public meeting of the Security Council on Iraq war on Wednesday, Pamir said that Turkey could enter Iraq not for fighting, but for preventing a new refugee crisis if necessary, and stated that a security problem which could appear near Turkey's borders could be met in that way.
Pamir said that Turkey was a country of stability and stated, ''we are not enemy of anyone. We do not have any secret timetable.''
''It is with a profound sense of sadness that the Turkish people receive the news of the ongoing war in Iraq. We pray for an early end,'' Pamir said and added, ''if Iraq had provided the necessary cooperation in 1991, this vicious downfall spiral would have been avoided and none of its many abysmal results would have been set in motion.''
''While this outright conflict is under way, the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people is of paramount importance. The "Oil-For-Food" program, being the backbone of the U.N. humanitarian assistance to Iraq should continue uninterrupted,'' he noted.
Pamir said, ''in view of the vast amount of sheer disinformation with regard to Turkey in the context of northern Iraq, I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to pronounce once more Turkey's concerns and priorities in this matter: Turkey upholds the territorial integrity, political sovereignty and national unity of Iraq. We will support the decisions reached by the Iraqi people arrived through the employment of democratic processes. We wish to see a fully representative system put in place in Iraq. We believe that the natural resources of Iraq belong to all Iraqis.''
Pamir said, ''we cannot allow the PKK/KADEK terrorists marauding parts of northern Iraq to abuse conditions of stability to instigate terrorism and provocation that would set in motion a vicious circle hampering the efforts of the Coalition.''
''We cannot allow another influx of refugees into Turkey to take place as it did in 1991,'' he added.
(EÖ-AÖ) 27.03.2003