Bush Promises Tripartite Fight against PKK

Bush will meet with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Sunday. Prior to his departure to Turkey, Bush spoke yesterday with Turkish NTV television’s Prof. Ilter Turan about the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist organization, Iraq, the Greater Middle East Project and the Cyprus issue.

Bush pledged that the US would cooperate with the Turkish and Iraqi governments in order to eradicate the PKK in northern Iraq. "We will work together in the fight against PKK. We are after terrorists. If we declare a group as terrorist, it means, we are serious about this. Therefore, we will work together with the governments. Both governments in fact, the Turkish government and the new Iraqi government."

Bush also praised the efforts of the Erdogan government to find a solution for Cyprus issue. The US President reiterated that the Annan plan is a plan suits everyone and is a good one. "We have to consult with Erdogan about how to take the process further," added Bush as he reminded that the Turkish government accepted the plan but the Greek side did not.

Bush talked about the Greater Middle East and North Africa Initiative, and stressed that Turkey is a modern Muslim country. "I would like to make it clear that America does not say, ‘be like us’. America is on the same side as reformists who work for modernization in their countries and reach decisions in this direction. Meanwhile, I should talk about Turkey. Turkey as a Muslim country provides freedom, hope and opportunity to its people."

In addition, Bush talked about the NATO summit’s agenda and shared that he does not expect the Alliance to agree to send troops to Iraq. He emphasized that Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi requested that the Alliance help train Iraqi security forces and that this was the only solution.