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Turkish Press Review
Edited for topicForeign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that Turkey was closely following developments in northern Iraq. âWe have plans and programs for the region. They will be carried out in coordination,â said Gul. Speaking to a meeting of the Diplomatic Correspondentsâ Association, Gul denied reports of Turkish Special Forces arming northern Iraqâs Turkmen being sent back by US troops. âThere are no problems regarding Turkish teams in the region,â he said. âThey are continuing to carry out their duties and conveying reports back to us. Our teams are carrying weapons to protect trucks carrying humanitarian aid to the region through Turkey.â The New York Times over the weekend reported yesterday that according to US military officials, men identifying themselves as Turkish Special Forces soldiers last week tried to smuggle grenades, night-vision goggles and dozens of rifles into the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. The officials said that they believe the weapons, which were allegedly hidden in an aid convoy, were bound for ethnic Turkmen living in the oil-rich city, said the Times. However, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul denied these reports, reiterating that Turkish forces were present in the region only to deliver humanitarian aid to refugees. Smuggling arms into Iraq seems a bit redundent. There is "no justification" for US forces to remain in Iraq once an interim Iraqi government has been established, stated Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani over the weekend. Barzani added that the âKurdish nationâ had the right to self-determination and to establish its own state. âHowever, this issue is not on our agenda right now,â said the Kurdish leader. âWe are responsible for solving the problems of Iraqâs Kurds. However, the Kurds living in Turkey and Iran should themselves find solutions to their problems.â That's what the Turks are worried about. Posted by: Steve 2003-04-28 |
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