AMBASSADOR'S REMARKS AND PUBLIC EVENTS

Ambassador Ross Wilson Answers Questions from Anadolu Agency

June 26, 2006, Izmir
 

QUESTION:  Do you think Foreign Minister Gul will communicate the international community’s message to Iran during his visit? What does the United States think about his visit?

 

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  Turkey has been conveying a strong and a very clear message that is fully consistent with the message from many others in the international community, including the United States, that Iran needs to change course; that it needs to abandon its nuclear weapons programs, cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and return to the negotiations.  I believe that that is the kind of message that Foreign Minister Gul was intending to deliver.  I believe his trip is over although I have been traveling so I am not sure about that, but I am certain that Turkey is in the right place, with us, with the international community in urging Iran to change course. 

 

QUESTION:  Did the Foreign Ministry and the US Embassy in Ankara have any contact before the visit?

 

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  We and many other members of the so-called P-5, the permanent members of Security Council plus Germany, were in repeated contact with Turkey about this visit well in advance of it.

 

QUESTION:  My final question is about Turkey-US relations in general. Recently there were some problems, but it looks like the problems were overcome although there are still some concerns in Turkey related to northern Iraq and security.  What do you think about the security issue especially in northern Iraq? 

 

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  To answer the first part of your question, I believe that US-Turkish relations have improved significantly over the course of the last year.  That is reflected in a lot of high level exchanges we have had including Secretary Rice’s visit, and an anticipated visit of Foreign Minister Gul early next month.  It is reflected in our close cooperation and collaboration on Iraq, on Iran, on issues of Middle East peace, on Turkey’s bid to become a member of the European Union, and on many, many other subjects.  Clearly there are issues that we still have to work on.  I am not satisfied that the United States is doing everything it can to assist Turkey in dealing with the problem of PKK terrorism.  We have made some progress.  We have some further work to do.  Secretary Rice talked about that when she was here in April.  We’ll see where this goes.

 

QUESTION:  Thank you very much.

 

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  Thank you.