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Turkeys Iraq envoy to visit Baghdad for talks
 Ambassador Ahmet Oðuz Çelikkol, Turkey's special envoy to Iraq, is going to Baghdad over the weekend for high-level talks with state officials and political party representatives, said Foreign Ministry sources yesterday. Çelikkol is expected to reiterate the significance Ankara attaches to Iraq's territorial integrity and political unity and also exchange views with the sides involved with regard to efforts to form a government in Iraq. Sources did not say when and with whom the ambassador would have talks in the neighboring country. This will be the first trip to Iraq by Çelikkol since he succeeded Ambassador Osman Korutürk last month. Following the Dec. 15 polls in Iraq, Turkey said it would continue to strongly support the political process in Iraq and reiterated that it was ready to cooperate in every sphere with the future government in Iraq. Ankara says Iraq's territorial integrity has vital importance for the safety of both Iraq and the region as well as for the future of the Iraqis. Çelikkol's visit comes at a time when the clashes between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq are on the rise. The Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the deadly violence in Iraq, urging Iraqis to refrain from reprisals after the bombing of a major Shiite shrine. It is obvious that the goal of those who resort to terrorism is to start sectarian and ethnic conflict in Iraq, said a written statement released by the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, after the bombing of the Shiite shrine in Samarra sparked deadly reprisals against Sunni mosques and worshippers. The most efficient way to undo this game is to remain prudent in the face of those inhumane provocations, refrain from reprisals and strengthen national unity, the statement added. Ankara fears that instability in Iraq may lead to the breakup of the country and the secession of the Kurds in the north, which, in turn, could fuel unrest among Turkey's own Kurdish population. Posted by: lotp 2006-02-25 |
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