President Gül: US support for Turkey’s terror fight unsufficient

Washington is not lending the amount of support it should be giving Turkey in its fight against terrorism, President Abdullah Gül has said while admitting that Turkey should be able to take its own measures without relying on other countries to resolve the problem.

“Is there anything more that the U.S. could do? Of course there is. Is [the U.S. effort] enough? I do not think so. But every country has its own problems and policies. Complaining about what have been and have not been done is not right,” Gül was quoted as saying by daily Hürriyet.  “If a country sought the support of another country’s hand in resolving its own problems, it would be a mistake.”

Speaking to reporters on his way back from Kyrgyzstan, Gül commented on the increasing number of recent attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Gül said all political leaders were standing shoulder to shoulder against terrorism, referring to the attendance of senior party leaders from across the political spectrum at a funeral ceremony in Gaziantep in the aftermath of deadly bomb attack that killed nine and wounded dozens on Aug. 20.

“It is very important to show our unity and solidarity against terror in such days. We, as all leaders and politicians, wanted to show how we attach importance to our unity and solidarity. I hope that this spirit of Gaziantep gave a good message to everyone. I hope that it will be helpful from now on,” Gül said.Also speaking on allegations that there was an intelligence failure in the Gaziantep attack, Gül said Turkish intelligence had prevented many possible attacks in the past but that the nature of the incidents was not disclosed.

The Turkish president also said a suspected organizer of the Aug. 20 attack was being interrogated by police.

Gül also described the Aug. 17 meeting of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and PKK militants in the eastern province of Hakkari as “inconceivable,” stressing that the incident had drawn a reaction from the public. “If they had wanted to break all ties with Turkey, such a meeting could have been possible. It’s inconceivable. It is a huge mistake,” Gül said.

24.08.2012
SOURCE: HDN