Wednesday, 3 June 2009Turkey's Permanent Representative to the UN, Baki Ilkin, said on Wednesday that Iraq should be given encouraging messages at Iraq meeting of the UN Security Council.
Ilkin talked to Turkish journalists in Turkevi in New York after Turkey assumed rotating presidency of the UN Security Council on June 1 for one month.
-IRAQ-
Ilkin said Iraq was one of the very important matters for Turkey, indicating that they wanted to give some encouraging messages to Iraq on territorial integrity during Iraq meeting which Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu would chair on the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on June 18.
-CYPRUS-
Ilkin said Turkey was in the UN Security Council last week for the first time when Cyprus question was under debate, "Turkey gave 'no' vote to the UN Security Council resolution on Cyprus because the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was not asked for formal accord for the resolution on extension mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for another 6 months.
Ilkin said, "a window of opportunity has opened. I hope Greek Cypriot party would make use of the opportunity and accept a solution on basis of political equality."
He said Alexander Downer, special envoy of the UN Secretary General for Cyprus, was endeavoring for a solution.
-GEORGIA-
Commenting on a question on Georgia, Ilkin said Turkey supported Georgia's territorial integrity and did not want escalation of tension or eruption of any clash in the region again.
Ilkin said Turkey wanted continuation of UN force's presence in the region.
-NORTH KOREA-
Ilkin said talks were underway in the Council on a draft resolution on North Korea, "as far as we can understand, new sanctions regime towards North Korea will be very strict."
"There are plans for a nuclear disarmament in the Korean peninsula and unify Koreans in the long term. Policies pursed by North Korea state do not serve these two targets," Ilkin said, adding that 5 permanent members, Japan and South Korea were working on a draft resolution text which would be submitted to UN Security Council members.
Ilkin said Turkey would chair North Korea and Democratic Republic of Congo Sanctions Committees for one year and undertake the presidency of Counter-Terrorism Committee.
-ILKIN TO RETIRE IN JULY-
Ilkin said he would retire at the beginning of July and depart from New York. "I believe that my colleague who replaces me will be very successful."
Turkey's UN Security Council rotating presidency will expire on July 1.
The presidency of the UN Security Council rotates among the 15 members in alphabetical order.
Turkey has been a member of the UN Security Council since January 2009. As one of the 10 non-permanent members, it will stay in the council until the end of 2010.
The Security Council has five permanent (the United States, Russia, the People's Republic of China, France and Britain) and ten non-permanent (Austria, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Japan, Libya, Mexico, Turkey, Uganda and Vietnam) members. |
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
NEW YORK (A.A)
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