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Secretary Condoleezza Rice Interview With Turkeys
Kanal-D TV, Metehan Demir
QUESTION: Welcome to Turkey again.
SECRETARY RICE:
Thank you.
QUESTION: What do you think about the recent
Kurdish statements about breaking away from Iraq as
an independent state? Can you declare clearly that
the US will not tolerate any division of Iraq and
will not allow any unilateral changes by the Kurds
in the status of Kirkuk? And do you believe that
Turkey might intervene in Kirkuk if such a decision
is taken by the Kurds?
SECRETARY RICE:
The United States has been absolutely clear that we
are committed to a united Iraq. That we are
committed to an Iraq in which all parties and all
groups - whether Turkmen or Kurds or Shiites or
Sunnis - are all welcome, And other minorities too,
all welcomed, all represented, all respected within
a unified Iraq. The United States believes strongly
in the territorial integrity of Iraq, and we'll work
with the parties to make certain that is the
outcome.
We also believe that Kirkuk needs to be a city in
which all Iraqis are welcome. And we know its
history. We know that Saddam Hussein, through his
dictatorship and his methods, contributed to
tensions about Kirkuk. But it is a city that really
must represent all Iraqis.
QUESTION: It shouldn't have a special status?
SECRETARY RICE:
Well, it's going to be up to the Iraqis to decide in
their democratic state how Kirkuk is administered.
But it really must be a place where all Iraqis are
welcome and respected.
QUESTION: Turkey has been very critical of
Washington that the US is not keeping its earlier
promises in fighting the PKK, which is already
officially declared as terrorist by Washington. Do
you plan to take a concrete step against the PKK
presence in northern Iraq or is there any policy
change by the US on the issue?
SECRETARY RICE:
Well, the very fact that the PKK is declared as a
terrorist organization in the United States means
that there are certain things that the United States
is obligated to do. For instance, we are obligated
to do what we can to deal with their financing so
that they don't receive moneys in any way that the
United States can stop it from happening.
We of course understand and are thoroughly committed
to the fact that terrorism should not come from the
territory of northern Iraq. And we are in a
trilateral arrangement, mechanism, with the Iraqis
and with Turkey to deal with the threat of the PKK.
We will do everything that we can. The security
situation is difficult still in the country, and
there are at this point some limits on what we can
do. But it is not because of a lack of commitment to
dealing with the PKK, and we will do so because they
are a terrorist organization and ought to be dealt
with as a terrorist organization.
QUESTION: Iran seems to be the number one
issue on President's Bush agenda in his second term
especially. How do you see neighboring Turkey's role
in connection with developments in Iran?
SECRETARY RICE:
Well, Iran will be one of many issues for the
President's agenda and since the President's agenda
deals with a broader Middle East and reform in the
Middle East, part of the problem is that Iran is out
of step with that effort at reform in the Middle
East.
Turkey, on the other hand, is one of America's
strongest partners in the broader Middle East
reform, a functioning democracy, Islamic people here
who are faithful and devout, but devoted to
democracy. That is the hope for the Middle East more
broadly. So Turkey has a very important role to play
in helping to create, helping to support those in
the Middle East who want a different kind of Middle
East. In terms of Iran, we all have to be very firm
with Iran that its support for terrorism is
unacceptable, that its efforts to build a nuclear
weapon under cover of civilian nuclear power is
unacceptable. I think Turkey will be a strong ally
in that.
QUESTION: In an interview with Larry King,
Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld said recently that
Turkey's decision last year that did not allow the
transfer of American Fourth Infantry Division from
Turkey to Iraq was one source of problems today
because, he said, he says, exceptional number of
Sunnis were captured or killed. That's why he says
this is still fomenting the insurgency in Iraq. Does
the U.S. still have the negative impacts of last
year's Turkey's decision?
SECRETARY RICE:
Well, it was certainly a disappointing decision
given our long alliance and the need to transport
American forces, and I think we made no secret of
that. I think whatever the relationship was to what
happened subsequently is really speculative but we
are moving on in our relationship. If we were not
moving on, it would not be the case that the United
States has been so strongly supportive of Turkish
accession to the European Union or the support for
the Turkish economic reforms and its IMF program. We
are moving on. We've got a lot of work to do
together and that's what I am here to talk about.
QUESTION: Maybe this could be a follow-up
question. Both Turkey and the US describe the
relationship as a strategic partnership. What Dr.
Rice in your view makes this a strategic
partnership?
SECRETARY RICE:
What makes it a strategic partnership, first of all,
is a long history of having a relationship that is
devoted to a more secure, stable balance in the
world. Turkey was an important fighter, an important
ally in the Cold War as we overcame the division of
Europe and brought down imperial communism. Turkey
is of course a member of NATO, the most important
and most successful strategic alliance. And it was
NATO's job in the past to prevent the spread of
Soviet power, to give cover to democratization in
Europe. NATO is now involved in trying to spread
stability and democracy to others parts of the
world. So Turkey has been in control of the ISAF in
Afghanistan, for instance, turning Afghanistan - a
place that was the primary territorial source of
Al-Qaeda terrorism - into a state that will be
peaceful and fighting terror. That's really what it
means to be a strategic ally. It means cooperating
around the world to make the world more stable, to
fight terrorism, and indeed to spread liberty and
democracy.
QUESTION: How do you see Turkish Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan's critical remarks on the
United States regarding the ongoing operations in
Iraq?
SECRETARY RICE:
Well, we've had a discussion of Iraq, and I think
that the Iraqi people and their election last Sunday
gives us an opportunity now to look ahead to how we
are all going to support a democratic Iraq, an Iraq
that is unified and an Iraq that is at peace with
its neighbors.
And for all of us, we need to say to our publics, as
I'm having an opportunity, thanks to you, to say
today, this is a fundamentally strong and important
relationship. It is critical to the security and the
future of both the United States and Turkey. We have
to speak up for the importance of this relationship.
Friends will sometimes disagree, but when we
disagree, we have to do so from a basis that still
understands the vital importance of this
relationship, that it allows us to do things like
support each other in places like Afghanistan, to
support Turkish accession to the European Union, to
support Turkish economic reform through the IMF.
That's what friends do. And so even when we have our
disagreements, we need to be very clear that this
relationship is very much worth it.
QUESTION: Does the Pentagon foresee, or does
the United States administration foresee, more of a
role for Incirlik airbase, because there has been a
lot of speculation. Maybe from your position it
would be very useful to clarify what is the US idea
on Incirlik airbase?
SECRETARY RICE:
Well, first of all since Incirlik is a Turkish
airbase, anything that we do we would, of course,
have to do with Turkey. We will have discussions,
broad discussions about how the changed
circumstances change our needs. But some of the
things that I have seen about major basing of
American aircraft and so forth, I think that is
really not on the table.
QUESTION: Do you think that further steps
should be taken to reward the Turks in Cyprus who
said to yes last year to the referendum in the name
of a solution on the island while the Greek Cypriots
said no to this referendum. Many promised, many
heavyweights in the world promised -- including the
US and the EU -- to take better steps to make Turks'
position better, but nothing is specifically done so
far. Do you have more plans for the Turkish
Cypriots?
SECRETARY RICE:
Well, we are looking at what we can do to ease the
isolation of the Turkish Cypriots because we, like
everyone else, were disappointed that the Annan plan
was not adopted. We have taken some steps, direct
aid for instance to the Turkish Cypriots, but there
are probably other things that we should look at
doing. We should get back to trying to find a way to
unify the island.
QUESTION: One short question and the last
one. What should be done for solving the dispute
between Turkey and Armenia? Does the U.S. plan any
special initiative this year to solve this problem?
SECRETARY RICE:
Well, we would certainly hope that Turkey and
Armenia would find a way to bridge the differences.
We know the very difficult history here. And we
recognize the difficult history. But we are a long
time now into the future. And on the basis of
democratic development and the economic development
and the need for stability, we would hope and
encourage the parties to find ways to bridge their
differences.
QUESTION: How long will it take for Turkey to
become a full member of the European Union? In your
opinion.
SECRETARY RICE:
Well, unfortunately we are not members of the
European Union So we can't say. We've been
supporters of Turkey's accession and of that
happening as quickly as possible. Obviously, there
are standards that Turkey needs to meet. And the
European Union is well within its rights to say that
there are certain things that need to be done in
order to bring about Turkey's accession. But I think
we've been a supportive as anyone for that accession
to take place. And given that we are not a member,
it really is up to Turkey and the European Union to
find a way for it -- with Turkey doing what it needs
to do and with Europe being welcoming of a Turkey
that really does have a rightful place in the world.
QUESTION: Secretary Rice, thank you very much
for being with us. It was a nice opportunity. Many
thanks and enjoy your trip.
SECRETARY RICE:
Thank you.
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