ANKARA (AFP) - A group of 10 influential US senators yesterday attempted to allay Turkey's concerns that its southern neighbor Iraq could be the next target in the Washington-led campaign against international terrorism.
After talks with Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, the former Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman told a news conference that the US administration would decide to extend the anti-terrorism campaign to Iraq, a sworn enemy of Washington, only after consulting its allies, including Turkey.

"There are no differences of opinion between Washington and Ankara on Iraq, but a change of regime in Iraq while protecting its territorial integrity is very important to the US," he said.

Former presidential hopeful John McCain, on the other hand, underlined that Washington had not yet decided on striking Iraq, but noted that the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein continued to produce weapons of mass destruction in defiance of UN resolutions.

Since the September 11 attacks in the United States, Turkey, the only member of NATO with a mainly-Muslim population, has opposed extending the US-led war against terrorism, especially to Iraq.

Turkey says destabilizing Iraq could create on its border an independent Kurdish state in mountainous northern Iraq, which has been under the control of two Kurdish factions since the end of the Gulf War in 1991.

Such a state could in turn fan anti-Ankara sentiment among separatist-minded Kurds living mainly in Turkey's southeast, which has a history of armed conflict involving Kurds seeking self-rule.

The latest developments in Afghanistan were another topic Turkish officials discussed with the US delegation, comprised of both Republicans and Democrats, Lieberman told reporters.

"Turkey has an important role to play in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and we thank Turkey for its support in the US war against international terrorism," he said.

Lieberman praised Turkey as a"shining example" of tolerance, modernity and democracy, and underlined the importance of cultural harmony which at one point seemed in jeopardy with the Afghanistan operation.

"This campaign is against terrorism, and not Islam," he said.

The US delegation, which has already met with Turkey's Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, is also expected to visit Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Oman.

Quelle

Da sollte Lieberman mal besser einen Rundgang durch die türkischen Justizanstalten machen, bevor er solche Märchen verbreitet.

Den Namen McCain habe ich im Forum schon mal irgendwo gelesen, glaube ich...

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