BY FIKRET BILA
MILLIYET- Columnist Fikret Bila comments on Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s hopes and concerns concerning the war in Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:
Stating that the Iraq war hadn’t led to dangerous developments, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told me, ‘Our nation can rest easy now. We wouldn’t allow a Turkish-Kurdish conflict to break out. Everybody knows this. Certainly Turkey’s red lines haven’t been crossed. The US is aware of our sensitivities and determination concerning this issue. We’re constantly receiving updates on the situation.’ Stating that the greatest danger was an Arab-Kurdish conflict in the region, Gul added, ‘This is the danger we should guard against. The Arabs and Kurds should both watch their steps in order not to trigger a conflict. The US also should keep this in mind. If such a conflict begins, it might engulf the whole region.’ Gul is worried that such an ethnically based conflict could turn into a civil war, a danger he thinks the whole world should be concerned about. He also said that Turkey wouldn’t allow a Turkish-Kurdish conflict to develop and that Ankara has warned the US and as well as Kurdish leaders Barzani and Talabani on this matter.
Stating that Ankara had solid sources of information, Gul said, ‘We know the region very well. We helped and are still assisting the US to gather information. We share and jointly evaluate our information. Our contributions on this are important. We know about all developments as soon as they happen.’
Concerning Turkey’s possible place at Iraq’s reconstruction table following the war, Gul said, ‘If sitting at the table means contributing to Iraq’s reconstruction, of course we’ll be there. We’ll play a role in that process, even as we are already playing a role there now.’
Stating that Ankara was ready to help people wounded during the war, Gul added, ‘We’ve sent 500 truckloads of food and medical aid. We also offered to send doctors and medical teams. The real problem is security. We suggested that we could transport the injured out of the country to Turkey. However, right now there are no security measures for landing or flying planes at the airports. We thought about bringing them by car or truck but this would be a long and risky road. We also thought about transporting them by helicopter but again there is no security this way either. As soon as security is established, we will bring in injured and sick people. We’ve made the necessary preparations at our hospitals.’
Gul is hopeful about the future. He thinks the situation in Iraq should be normalized as soon as possible. Therefore he says that a new civil order should be established rapidly, the risk of a civil conflict should be defused and the people’s security should be ensured. He says following this process, Turkey will greatly contribute to Iraq’s reconstruction and the nation’s riches will be used for the Iraqi people. He thinks that this situation will create important opportunities for the Turkish economy as well.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION