UN special envoy for Iraq met with FM Gul

Following their meeting, Gul told reporters that he had conveyed to de Mello the Turkish government’s views on Iraq, stressing that the nation’s territorial integrity should be protected and its various ethnic groups dealt with fairly and impartially. For his part, de Mello said that he shared Gul’s concerns, adding that Turkey could play an important role in the postwar period. De Mello added that the UN expected Ankara to participate at a conference this December dealing with Iraq’s reconstruction, both political and physical.