GUL: I was surprised, because Turkey is the one country that has really contributed to the Iraqi [Kurds]. Turkey is the country that protected them when there was a chemical attack in Saddam’s time. I think Talabani’s statement was unfortunate and unwise. He is not the leader of one of the tribes now; he is the president of Iraq. So he has to be careful in his statements.
The PKK is a terrorist organization. The Americans … will [ultimately] withdraw, and he will be living with his neighbors–so he should be careful.
What is the new chapter? Turkey is one of the main countries that has stressed the territorial integrity of Iraq. We are protecting their territory.
We cannot bargain with a terrorist organization.
If they don’t, we have the capacity, ability and determination to fight to the end … PKK terrorism has increased. Also, the PKK has a new source of weapons. They have obtained weapons and explosives from the Iraqi Army. They bring them into Turkey and use them with remote-control devices.
I don’t want to say this, but they are not doing enough. The PKK terrorists feel relaxed to move about. We are expecting serious cooperation on this issue from all Iraqis as well as from the U.S. In the past, the leader of the PKK lived in Syria, and that regime was the enemy. Now the leaders of the PKK are in northern Iraq, which is controlled by the Coalition forces.
We will do whatever is necessary to fight this organization. I want to give the message that if our friends don’t help us, we will do the job ourselves.
We appreciate that several times President Bush has declared that the U.S. will take serious steps to fight terrorism, but we have to see the results.
Since the beginning of this year, 16,000 people have been killed there. There is an escalation of the violence. Sectarianism is getting worse and worse.
How can you leave a vacuum over there? Then, what will happen? All the neighbors of Iraq and the U.S. should work hand in hand with the Iraqi government and the different tribes in Iraq to bring stability. I think it is possible. There is no other way. You have to put things in order.
The neighboring countries will not accept this. That idea should be forgotten–it should not be an option. Those [who favor it] don’t know Iraq or the region.
A good package has been given to Iran. During my visit to Iran in August, I met with all the leaders and they said they appreciated the package–I learned this from [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad. He said that this package is different than previous ones. With good intentions, I think there can be a solution.
They say that when they are guaranteed delivery of all the things in the package, then they will suspend. Both sides lack confidence [in each other]. As a neighbor country, we want to see a peaceful solution. We don’t want to see any nuclear weapon in our neighborhood.
