By NNN-KUNA
Ankara : Turkey’s Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul has rejected the call by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates for the early withdrawal of Turkish troops from north Iraq.
The Turkish troops will remain there as long as it deems necessary for rooting out the PKK rebels, Gonul told a joint press conference with Gates here Thursday.
The troops have been precisely targeting the PKK bases and camps and avoided towns and civilian targets, he said. There will be no need for the army to remain in north Iraq once they destroy the infrastructure of the separatist movement, he explained.
Turkey has no intention to destabilize the local civilian authorities in north Iraq or interfere in the internal policies of any country, he said.
Gonul said the military operation does not aim to invade part of Iraq. It rather aims to restore rule of law and order, he said, adding that the Turkish forces will remain there until the aims were fully achieved.
Turkey grew impatient after it left no stone unturned in pursuit of diplomatic solution for the problem of the attacks being launched by PKK rebels based in North Iraq, he explained.
Gonul said he believed the military operation in north Iraq would not only serve Turkey but enhance the security and stability of the Iraqi people.
Meanwhile, he hailed Gates’ visit to Turkey, the first by a US defense chief in seven years. The visit followed big events in the Middle East and Balkan regions notably the incursion into north Iraq and the independence of Kosovo, Gonul pointed out.
Earlier in the day the two men held talks on regional issues of common concern as well as the bilateral ties especially in the fields of defence industry and technology. They also discussed Turkey’s role, as a NATO ally, in the war against terrorism, Gonul said.
He praised the results of the visit to the US by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan late last year and Erdogan’s meeting with US President George W. Bush. The visit constituted a major turning point in the process of cooperation between the two countries, he asserted.
For his part, Gates echoed Bush’s call for the withdrawal of the Turkish troops from north Iraq as soon as possible. The incursion should come to an end within two weeks at most, he suggested.
Turkey has to weigh its legitimate right to self-defence against the need to respect Iraq’s territorial integrity, Gates underscored.
During his one-day stay here, Gates met Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Erdogan to probe regional issues as will as bilateral ties.