Turkey asks for seat on Security Council

"In spite of her substantial contributions to peace and security, Turkey has not been a member of the council for almost half a century," Gul said in his speech Thursday at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

"Our bid for the non-permanent seat is in tune with Turkey’s larger efforts to secure peace, stability and security in its region and beyond," he added. "The U.N. Security Council should have a more representative and balanced character."

Turkey says the time has come for it to get representation at the 15-nation Security Council as it has not had a seat there despite its contributions over decades for world peace and stability.

Gul said Turkey was in a unique position to serve as a bridge between the Islamic world and the West and noted that it has contributed to peacekeeping forces from Bosnia to Afghanistan, provided humanitarian aid to Palestinian and Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur region and worked to promote stability in the Middle East.

Call for Cyprus action
The foreign minister also called on the U.N. Security Council to respond to a call in a past report by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to "eliminate unnecessary restrictions and barriers that have the effect of isolating the Turkish Cypriots."

Turkish Cypriots received pledges of support from the world community after they voted in support of a U.N. plan aimed at reunification of the island but none of the promises has yet become effective.

"We urge the Security Council to positively respond to the secretary-general’s calls," Gul said and called on U.N. states to take concrete steps at a bilateral level to end the isolation of Turkish Cypriots.

On Iraq, Gul said Turkey wanted to see a territorially integrated Iraq and complained that the strife in the country was causing suffering in Turkey.

Gul said greater U.N. involvement is essential for restoring peace in Iraq and the surrounding region.