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Turkish Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul reacted harshly to Iraqi Kurdistan
Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Mesut Barzani's
words, "If necessary we will go to war to protect
the Kurdish identity of Kerkuk (Kirkuk)."
Gul warned Barzani not to ignite the situation in
Kirkuk.
Gul conversed with reporters on the plane from
Estonia to Latvia as he continued his Baltic swing
yesterday. Gul emphasized that everyone recognizes
how sensitive the issue of Kirkuk is to Turkey.
He underlined that the identity of Kirkuk is not
that of just one ethnic group, but instead it is a
city that encompasses all identities, whether Sunni,
Shiite, Turkish, Arab or Kurd.
One reporter asked the foreign minister about
Turkey's response to the demand of some terrorist
groups that Turkey close its consulate in Kirkuk.
"We ignore it," Gul declared.
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