Articles About Terrorist Activities

Turkey’s Premier Tayyip Erdogan said he wished that the terrorist organization would lay down arms.

“We will be in a positive approach (to searches for a solution of terror problem), just so the terrorist organization lays down arms,” Erdogan said in a program broadcast on private ATV channel.   

Erdogan said that Turkey would welcome good will of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani regarding terrorism.

“I told him that we would fulfill our responsibilities if he was able to launch and achieve initiatives, just so peace was ensured in the region,” he said.

Erdogan also said it was important to prevent north of Iraq from being a shelter for the terrorist organization and to make the the terrorist organization lay down arms.

“Our security forces do not have an intention to be in a continuous military operation, but they have a mission to protect the security of our nation because there is an armed terrorist organization against us,” he said.

Erdogan said he would have the opportunity to discuss fight against terrorism in detail with U.S. President Barack Obama during his planned visit to Turkey.

The Turkish prime minister underlined importance of how the United States would withdraw from Iraq, whether it would withdraw totally or leave some groups in that country.

Erdogan said that there was a serious differentiation among the ethnic groups, religious groups in Iraq, but said no one could say that there was no division possibility in Iraq.

“Turkey does not want Iraq to be divided. Such a division may cause a civil war in Iraq,” he said.

Erdogan also said that Turkey was talking with all segments in Iraq, and the central government for regional peace.

On possible initiatives to solve Kurdish problem after Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Iraq, Erdogan said, “we are sad when this issue is coincided with the PKK, and I regard it an insult to my Kurdish brothers.”

Erdogan said that if Talabani was able to make a contribution regarding the north of Iraq, this could help a solution.

The Turkish prime minister said that the facts in the north of Iraq should also be taken into consideration, and expressed belief that they could come to a solution if they took into consideration everything.

Erdogan said Turkey would appreciate any possible contribution of Talabani. Also talking about Turkey’s international relations, Erdogan said that Turkey could host the third Group of Twenty (G-20) summit.

The Group of Twenty (G-20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors was established in 1999 to bring together systemically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy. The inaugural meeting of the G-20 took place in Berlin, on December 1516, 1999, hosted by German and Canadian finance ministers.

The G-20 is made up of the finance ministers and central bank governors of 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and also the European Union who is represented by the rotating Council presidency and the European Central Bank.

Turkey attended a G-20 meeting in the United States in November 2008 in which participants discussed global economic crisis, and is expected to participate in another G-20 summit in London, Britain at the beginning of April.

Source: Hurriyet
URL: arama.hurriyet.com.tr/arsivnews.aspx?id=11259330