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Turkish
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul reiterated his
concerns about the developments in Kerkuk's (Kirkuk)
demographic structure to the US.
Gul warned yesterday that if any change to the
demographic structure of Kirkuk is allowed, it may
lead to more serious problems. The Minister also
added that Sunni Arabs in Iraq should not be
excluded from the government adding: "Turkey-US
relations are of the up-most importance. They are
traditional and very broad. We demand that relations
continue in this same direction." US Deputy
Secretary of State arrived in Ankara on Sunday
(January 2) after visiting Iraq and Syria.
Armitage met with Gul first to discuss the issues
concerning the two countries such as the latest
developments in Iraq, the continued existence of
terrorist organizations, and the Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK) in the northern Iraq. According to
diplomatic sources, Gul emphasized the significance
of the upcoming Iraqi elections and said the
elections should be held on time and should be
conducted with an eye on keeping the balance.
Foreign Minister Gul warned not to change the
demographic structure of Kirkuk, to which Armitage
responded, "The Kurds are also being forced to
immigrate like the Turkmens." Many entities have
changed in Iraqi society, Armitage added, but said
he shared Gul's view that "These are issues to be
corrected." The US Deputy Secretary of State
disclosed that he met with Iraqi Kurdish leaders
Barzani and Talabani before coming to Turkey.
They had negotiated with each of the Iraqi groups
during the election process, Gul said: "We will make
suggestions to anyone in order to persuade them to
participate in the elections. Sunni Arabs should not
be excluded from the government. While Iraq was
being formed in 1932, the Shi'ites were excluded
from the administration. When they tried to
participate in the government later on, trouble
occurred. The same things should not be repeated."
The Cyprus issue was also discussed during the
meeting. Gul sent the message: "We expect you to
take action to lift the isolation applied on the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). There
were some nice developments that the US achieved
after April 24, but these are no longer sufficient."
Armitage replied by saying that they are exerting
significant effort on the issue.
Armitage also met with Speaker of the Turkish
Parliament Bulent Arinc and Chief of Staff Hilmi
Ozkok yesterday. Arinc reportedly shared the
reaction of Turkish society to the incidents in Iraq
and demanded sensitivity to international agreements
and law.
01.04.2005, Suleyman Kurt, Ankara
http://www.zaman.com
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