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Gul: Barzani should take lessons, to prevent his people getting into trouble |
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Thursday, 1 March 2007Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that Barzani should take lessons from the events of the last 15 years in order to prevent Iraqi people getting into trouble.
Abdullah Gul, while returning from a visit to Pakistan and Afghanistan yesterday said, "Iraq and the region are passing through a critical period. While Turkey follows a constructive and clasping policy, such speeches are examples of daydreaming or undutifulness, if not done intentionally," asked to comment on the statements of Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barazani.
Massoud Barzani, president of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, called on Turkey for face-to-face talks to end high-running tensions over Kurdish terrorists based in northern Iraq and argued that Turkey and Iran should get used to the idea of Kurds' right to independence.
"[The] Kurdish population in the region is about 40 million but the history was not just for them. They have been divided. Denial of Kurdish reality has not solved any problems. An independent structure is the most natural right of the Kurds. Turks, Iranians and Arabs should understand that this is not a threat. We cannot have it in an environment of violence. We need to find a common ground and watch out for each others' interests," said Barzani.
Gul said referring to the statements of Barzani that "Irrational leadership and maximalist daydreaming always have caused the people of the Middle East to get into trouble," underlining that he does not want to get into a polemic with Barzani.
Asked whether Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to go to Iraq, Gul said that Turkey does not have such a plan, stating, "This does not mean that Mr. Erdogan, me, or another person can not go to Baghdad."
"But you see that it is not such easy. Last week, Iraqi Vice-President Adel Abdul-Mahdi could not land on for two hours. The US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice also waited for one hour to land on. We want to go to Iraq and show that Turkey is in cooperation with the Iraqi government. We hope that an environment which would enable this will be created. But we do not have planned such a visit right now," Gul said.
Responding to a question on whether Turkey plans a summit of neighboring countries to Iraq, Gul said, "I do not want to give you information on this issue right now, but there are lots of efforts on this issue. Iraq's neighbors, the states that have relations with Iraq and the UN have understood better the importance of the neighboring countries for the future of Iraq."
The New Anatolian
01 March 2007
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Thursday, 1 March 2007
Gul warns Barzani
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