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New Anatolian, Turkey
Feb 9 2007
'Turkey has to consider cross-border op's consequences'
The New Anatolian / Ankara
09 February 2007
While Turkish Foreign Ministry Abdullah Gul continued his meetings in
Washington expressing Ankara's uneasiness at the continuing Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist presence in northern Iraq, a top U.S.
official cautioned yesterday about a possible military action, "The
responsibility for the consequences is something that Turkey has to
think about."
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel
Fried, in a teleconference with Turkish journalists in Ankara, stated
that the presence of the terrorists in northern Iraq is a problem,
adding that they are discussing the problem to eliminate them.
Calling Turkey's frustration understandable, he said the
responsibility for the consequences of possible military action is
something Turkey has to think about.
He added that Washington believes Turkey should cooperate with the
central Iraqi and Kurdish regional government.
Fried also talked about Turkish Foreign Minister Gul's current visit
to the U.S., characterizing it as successful. He added that U.S. and
Turkish officials talked about the Middle East, Lebanon, Israel,
Iraq, Afghanistan, Central Asian, Afghanistan, the Caucasus,
diversification of energy projects, the terrorist PKK, and the
so-called Armenian genocide resolution.
He described relations between Turkey and the U.S. as very deep and
broad, stating both countries share common interests. Recalling
previous disagreements in Iraq before the 2003 invasion of Iraq,
which Turkey refused to join, he stressed, "We put any disagreements
behind us."
He said that so-called Armenian genocide resolution could damage
Turkish-U.S. relations, adding that the U.S. administration opposes
the measure and continues to work to block it.
"Turkey needs to look honestly at its own history," he added. "It is
a process of deep democracy. We need to encourage Turkey, but not
through pressure from outside"
Feb 9 2007
'Turkey has to consider cross-border op's consequences'
The New Anatolian / Ankara
09 February 2007
While Turkish Foreign Ministry Abdullah Gul continued his meetings in
Washington expressing Ankara's uneasiness at the continuing Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist presence in northern Iraq, a top U.S.
official cautioned yesterday about a possible military action, "The
responsibility for the consequences is something that Turkey has to
think about."
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel
Fried, in a teleconference with Turkish journalists in Ankara, stated
that the presence of the terrorists in northern Iraq is a problem,
adding that they are discussing the problem to eliminate them.
Calling Turkey's frustration understandable, he said the
responsibility for the consequences of possible military action is
something Turkey has to think about.
He added that Washington believes Turkey should cooperate with the
central Iraqi and Kurdish regional government.
Fried also talked about Turkish Foreign Minister Gul's current visit
to the U.S., characterizing it as successful. He added that U.S. and
Turkish officials talked about the Middle East, Lebanon, Israel,
Iraq, Afghanistan, Central Asian, Afghanistan, the Caucasus,
diversification of energy projects, the terrorist PKK, and the
so-called Armenian genocide resolution.
He described relations between Turkey and the U.S. as very deep and
broad, stating both countries share common interests. Recalling
previous disagreements in Iraq before the 2003 invasion of Iraq,
which Turkey refused to join, he stressed, "We put any disagreements
behind us."
He said that so-called Armenian genocide resolution could damage
Turkish-U.S. relations, adding that the U.S. administration opposes
the measure and continues to work to block it.
"Turkey needs to look honestly at its own history," he added. "It is
a process of deep democracy. We need to encourage Turkey, but not
through pressure from outside"