US delegation: Turkish troops not threat in Iraq

US delegation member Thomas Lantos told reporters after the meeting with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal that they were passing through a difficult period, but they had attributed importance to US-Turkey relations all the time.

Noting that they had held meetings in Baghdad and surrounding region for three days, Lantos said that there was a progress in the region and terrorist activities should not overshadow this progress. He added that Iraq’s failure was not an alternative for them.

When recalled the statement of Paul Bremer, US administrator in Iraq, describing the Ottoman Empire as an occupier force in Iraq, Lantos said that Ottoman Empire’s governing the region for centuries was a historical reality, but people should not be busy with those issues too much.

Lantos said that Turkey was a democratic and secular country in the 21st century and it did not have any territorial pretensions from any country. He added that they were rejecting the understanding that Turkish soldiers were a threat for Iraq. Lantos said that on the contrary to this view, they believed that Turkey would have contribution to Iraq’s security, economic development and formation of a pluralist society.

Head of the delegation Edward Royce, said that they considered Turkey as an example country in the region with its democratic and secular structure. Touching on historical past of Turkey-US relations, Royce said that two countries had joint relations on democracy and fight against terrorism.

Noting that they were pleased with the decision of Turkish Parliament on sending soldiers to Iraq, Royce said that they were aware of the worldwide successes of Turkish soldiers. He added that everybody, especially Turkey, could have contribution for restoring security in Iraq.

Upon a question regarding that Turkish soldiers were not wanted in the region, Royce said that learning the real intentions of countries, which wanted to contribute to reconstruction of Iraq, was a part of their dialogue. He expressed his belief that they would make progress not only with Turkey, but also with other countries on this issue.

Royce said that they knew the will of Turkey on bringing peace and stability to Iraq and they would try to convince Iraqi Governing Council within this scope.

Noting that there were different views regarding the issue, but their real aim was to tell truths to Iraqi people by having right information, Royce said that they would change the perception on this direction. He added that they targeted to reach a result which two sides would accept.