12 March 1999
TRANSCRIPT: INDYK 3/12 REMARKS FOLLOWING MEETINGS IN TURKEY
(Middle East peace, Iraq, Iran, economic development discussed) (800) Ankara -- Martin Indyk, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, met March 11-12 with Turkish MFA Deputy Undersecretary Ziyal and other Turkish officials to discuss regional issues of concern, including the Middle East Peace Process, Iraq, Iran and opportunities for economic development in the region. "Turkey and the United States have a common interest in promoting peace and stability and prosperity in the Middle East. And it's in pursuit of those common interests that we will proceed together," Indyk said March 12 following his meeting with Ziyal. Regarding Iraq, Indyk said he believes the Turkish government now understands U.S. policy -- which is "based on a commitment to doing nothing that would impact on the territorial integrity of Iraq. ... And in fact, it is Saddam Hussein that is presenting the real danger to the territorial integrity of Iraq," he added. Indyk said he discussed with the officials "how we can help to relieve the suffering of the Iraqi people while maintaining the sanctions on the regime because of its defiance of the Security Council." Following is the transcript of Indyk's remarks and questions and answers, provided by USIS Ankara: (Begin transcript) STATEMENT AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS BY ASSISTANT SECRETARY MARTIN INDYK AT THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ANKARA, MARCH 12, 1999 INDYK: I am very glad to be in Ankara, and to have had an opportunity to consult with the government of Turkey, our close ally and partner in this region of the world. We have a very strong and close relationship with Turkey. It is a strategic relationship of great importance to Washington. And my visit here is in that context. I'm of course responsible for policy in the Middle East in the State Department. And it was in that context that I had very detailed, very good and very fruitful discussions with Ambassador Ziyal and his colleagues last night and today. We covered in great detail all of the regional issues of concern to the United States and to Turkey. We have focused on the Middle East peace process. We talked about the situation in Iraq. We talked about developments in Iran, and other regional issues of concern, particularly the opportunities for economic development in this region. So it is on that basis that I can report to you that I think we have a very good understanding of Turkey's interests and Turkey's sensitivities. And we will be proceeding in promoting our interests in the region with those concerns in mind. Turkey and United States have a common interest in promoting peace and stability and prosperity in the Middle East. And it's in pursuit of those common interests that we will proceed together. Thank you. Q: Mr. Indyk, what messages from Washington did you bring related with the future of Iraq to Ankara? Because you know there have been some concerns. It is related with the future of Iraq. INDYK: We did have a discussion about that. And, as I say, I think that the Turkish government understands now our policy. It is very much based on a commitment to doing nothing that would impact on the territorial integrity of Iraq. It remains a strong feature of our policy, that we seek to maintain the territorial integrity of Iraq. And in fact it is Saddam Hussein that is presenting the real danger to the territorial integrity of Iraq. We would like to see a better future for Iraq. We would like to see a future for the Iraqi people in which they would have a government that was more representative of their aspirations, a government that we could work with to bring Iraq back into the community of the nations, a way Iraq could play the kind of stabilizing role in this part of the region that would be of great benefit to its neighbors, Turkey included. We are very conscious of the suffering of the Iraqi people as a result of the refusal of Saddam Hussein to comply with Security Council Resolutions. And we've discussed today, as we've been discussing in the United Nations, how we can help to relieve the suffering of the Iraqi people while maintaining the sanctions on the regime because of its defiance of the Security Council. Q: .....the Turkish government has been quite unhappy with the last excessive bombings. Have you been talking about this subject? Have they told you about their uneasiness about the situation? INDYK: I think that matter has been resolved. And I think that we have clear understandings on that as well. The rules of engagement are clear and we have close respect for rules of engagement. Thank you very much. (End transcript)
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