AMBASSADOR'S REMARKS AND PUBLIC EVENTS

Ambassador Ross Wilson Interview With NTV

July 18, 2006

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, good morning.  Welcome to the NTV studio.

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  Good morning.  It’s a pleasure to be here.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, my first question is going to be about northern Iraq and PKK terrorism.  You know there is a strong reaction from Government and Turkish public opinion concerning PKK terrorism.  Is your country planning to take any military steps in northern Iraq in the short term against the PKK?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  The first thing I want to do is extend the condolences of the United States to the families of those who lost their lives in the last several days.  My country has been a victim of terrorism.  We understand how painful this is for the individuals involved and for the nation as a whole.  Foreign Minister Gul discussed this subject quite extensively with Secretary Rice when he was in Washington two weeks ago.  At that time she was very clear in declaring that the United States will work more actively with Turkey and with our Iraqi partners to address this problem.  I am very proud of the work that we have done.  I think that we have contributed significantly to the Turkish authorities’ ability to interrupt PKK activities and operations in Turkey and elsewhere, particularly in Europe.  I have also said publicly that I am disappointed that we have not been able to do more, and that I believe that we need to do more, and we must do more, and Secretary Rice certainly reflected that.  I am not prepared here this morning, and least of all publicly, to declare what exactly the United States is prepared to do or what we might be prepared to do differently.  But I can assure you that this problem is taken very seriously at the highest levels of the United States Government.  We are determined to work with our Turkish allies as Turkey deals with this painful problem.  We are determined to succeed.

QUESTION:  I would like to ask a question about the statement you made yesterday in the morning when you were asked about the operation of Israel in Lebanon, you said that they have to protect their own interests.  You have seen the press comments today claiming that the US has a double standard when it comes to Turkey and Israel.  On the one hand you recognize the right of Israel to protect its security interest, but on the other hand you are against any military step from Turkey in northern Iraq.  My question is, does the United States of America have a double standard when it comes to Turkey and Israel? 

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  There are no double standards when it comes to terrorism.  What I said yesterday -- I was very clear, at least in English -- was that the United States understands the right of Israel to protect its citizens, to defend itself.  I also noted Secretary Rice’s remarks and the remarks by other administration spokesmen urging restraint on the Israeli authorities, urging that they work to minimize civilian casualties, minimize damage to infrastructure, minimize the undermining of Lebanon’s democratically elected government.  We have said repeatedly, and I have said repeatedly, that we have believed that unilateral military action across the border with Iraq would be unwise.  The Chairman of our Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Pace, made exactly this observation when he was here in late March or early April.  I don’t think our position on that has particularly changed.  The circumstances vary from place to place, of course.  It is not the same thing as a double standard.  But they do vary from place to place.  Turkey has a good and active partner in dealing with international terrorism in Iraq and in the United States.  Israel does not have that luxury when it comes to terrorist activities by the Hamas military wing or by Hezbollah.  There is another difference.  The PKK is not just a northern Iraq problem.  It is a problem in Europe, and it is a problem in Turkey.  Going to deal with the PKK in northern Iraq will not solve those other problems.  It will not lead to what we, what Iraq, what Turkey want to see, which is the termination of these terrorist activities, and the termination of the death and suffering that the people of Turkey have faced.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, I understand your explanation, but as I mentioned before, there is a very strong reaction from the public against the PKK at the moment.  In the event that Turkey decides to make a unilateral military operation in northern Iraq or use its rights from the United Nations Convention in making hot pursuit in northern Iraq, what would be the reaction of the Washington Administration? 

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  I am not in a position to speculate about things that might happen in the future.  The United States and Turkey have for many years had good cooperation on issues of international terrorism.  We are consulting closely and cooperating closely on issues related to Iraq.  I would expect and anticipate that Turkey would continue to do what Turkey has been doing, which is to consult with us as we consult with Turkey on steps that we and others and Turkey may be anticipating taking with respect to Iraq.  I would also expect Turkey to discuss its concerns, as I understand Undersecretary Tuygan did yesterday with the Iraqi Ambassador, with the authorities of Iraq.

QUESTION:  American officials keep talking about a meeting between Iraq, Turkey, and the US.  Unfortunately, there always seems to be a reason why this kind of meeting cannot take place.  Now yesterday, you reminded us again of this issue.  Is there any date in the short term that we can expect this meeting to take place between the three countries

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  There have been several meetings in 2005 of this trilateral mechanism to discuss the PKK and what best to do about it.  Frankly speaking, these meetings have not been as productive as we would have liked for them to be.  When Secretary Rice was here in April, she suggested, and said this publicly, that we would want to reconvene this trilateral mechanism.  She believes, and we believe, that the prospects for concrete progress are significantly greater now that there is a permanent democratically elected government in Iraq, not an interim one as we had before.  We have had discussions with the Turkish authorities and with the Iraqi authorities on scheduling these talks.  The primary concern that has been expressed, in particular here, has been that these talks be well prepared to ensure that there is a real result here.  The preparedness was more important than having a quick meeting for the purpose of a meeting.  That’s what we are working on now, trying to prepare this.  There has not been a date set so far.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, as you said yesterday and today, you are against any unilateral military step from Turkey in northern Iraq.  If the US cannot carry out such an operation at the moment because of its presence in other parts of the country, how about the local forces in northern Iraq?  There is no concrete terrorism in that part of Iraq.  Don’t you think that the local Iraqi forces, Kurdish forces, could do something against the PKK in the short term?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  I can tell you that our representatives in Iraq have discussed with the Iraqi authorities in Baghdad, and with the authorities of the Kurdistan regional government in the north, the need to take action to curb PKK activities, to curb their apparent freedom of maneuver, their ability to operate.  I can’t get too much into the specifics of what exactly we have asked, but there has been a clear message that we need to see, that Turkey needs to see, and that Iraq needs to see a serious curtailment of PKK activities in the northern part of that country.

QUESTION:  Turkey is not the only country having trouble with the PKK.  For example, Iran is also fighting against the PKK in a different part of Iraq.  What would be the reaction of the Washington Administration in the event that Turkey and Iran decide to make a joint operation against the PKK in Iraqi territory?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  I think we would be very concerned about the prospect of any Iranian action in northern Iraq, or in Iraq generally, in the same respect that we are concerned about outside activities by any country within the territory of Iraq.  Iran is currently active in dangerous and destabilizing ways throughout Iraq.  It has provided backing to dangerous Shiite groups that are seeking to undermine the Government of Iraq, that are seeking to undermine our ability to operate there, our ability to stand up a strong and independent and prosperous country.  What Iran represents in Iraq, what it represents in the region, what it represents in the world are things that are profoundly contrary to Iraq’s interests, and I think also to Turkey’s interests.  We would not look favorably on that.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, yesterday there were reports that the Turkish Government gave the necessary political orders to the Turkish army for preparations for some type of operation in northern Iraq.  If your country is against such a military option from the Turkish military in northern Iraq, do you think that something can be done in a very limited way?  For example, instead of a big operation with thousands of Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq, maybe Americans or local forces can capture some of these 150 leaders of PKK terrorism.  And a follow up question:  American officials are always talking about financial steps against the PKK.  Can you give me any concrete example on this issue -- financial threat – on what has been done up to now in northern Iraq or in Europe?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  On the first part of your question – about specific activities – the important point is that the United States, Turkey, and Iraq cooperate together on what it is that we undertake to do.  It is of course important that the measures that we cooperate on and agree on should be taken as effective as possible in dealing with the problem of PKK terrorism.  We recognize it is serious.  Iraq recognizes that it is serious.  On the second part of your question, we believe that there has been some success in disrupting the flow of funds.  It is hard to document what doesn’t happen, and it is hard to talk openly and publicly about a lot of information that is in intelligence channels.  We believe there has been some success in disrupting some of the flows of funds.  It is not as much as we would like.  We would like to see more.  In my meeting yesterday with Undersecretary Tuygan, I reiterated our interest in continuing and expanding and making more effective United States and Turkish collaboration in Europe to cut off funding, to apprehend PKK leaders who are operating there, and to shut down PKK front groups.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, you said that yesterday you had a meeting with Ambassador Ali Tuygan, Undersecretary of the Turkish Foreign Ministry.  What was the message you received during this meeting, and what was your answer?  According to press reports, Mr. Tuygan said that Turkey is almost at the end of its limits concerning the PKK, and if nothing can be done by the US or by the Iraqis, then Turkey will carry out an operation by itself.  So what was the answer from your side to Mr. Tuygan?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  The key message that I received from him was that Turkey is very frustrated by the circumstances that it faces.  There were 15 people dead in the three days preceding yesterday, and I understand that there may have been a couple of more casualties since then.  Second, he made clear that Turkey wants to work together with the United States in Iraq; that it needs and depends on the help of the United States in Iraq to deal with this problem.  That is exactly our position.  That is exactly what we want to try to do.  The answer that I tried to give him is that we want to work together with Turkey and with Iraq as effectively as we possibly can.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, I understand from your explanation that the US Administration fully understands the seriousness of the situation and understands the sensitivity of the Turkish Government concerning PKK terrorism.  But can we say that the Iraqi Government understand this as well and shows the same attention to Turkish sensitivities?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  The best barometer I have of that are the remarks that Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari made when he was here two weeks ago, just prior to Foreign Minister Gul’s visit to the United States.  I don’t remember the exact words, but he certainly conveyed an awareness that this is a serious problem, that it is a threat to Iraq as much as it is a threat to Turkey.  I believe he tried to convey the sense that Iraq – the authorities in Baghdad – want to work more effectively with Turkey, and to some extent also with the United States, to try to deal with this problem.  I know from the reports of my colleagues in Baghdad that they have had similar discussions with a range of other senior Iraqi leaders and other leaders of the Kurdistan regional government.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, I have a last question concerning this issue of a military operations.  Was there any deadline given by the Turkish Government to the US Administration?  That is, if nothing can be done in two months, three months or whatever, then the Turkish army or the Turkish Government is determined to carry out an operation or hot pursuit in northern Iraq?  Was there such a deadline given to you yesterday?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  No.

QUESTION:  And a follow-up question: Is there going to be any high-level visit from the US to Turkey, or do you expect any high-level visit from Turkey to Washington in preparation for action against the PKK?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  I am not aware of any specific meeting that is planned for that purpose.  Clearly, there will be and there should be a trilateral meeting that you and I have discussed.  I don’t know whether that will be here or whether it will be in Washington or in Iraq or perhaps in some other country.  Those talks will be carried out at a senior level that we will determine at the appropriate time.

QUESTION:  When we talk about high-level visits, I remember there was the possibility that Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan would visit Washington.  According to press reports, he was actually planning to visit Washington early in the summer but now that is no longer possible.  In September or October – during the autumn – do you think that such a visit could take place?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  What we indicated to the Prime Minister at the time that he made this request was that due to scheduling issues in Washington, in particular a very heavy foreign travel calendar that the President has, that it was really not going to be possible for him to be received by the President before September.  There were some discussions when Foreign Minister Gul was in Washington about the need to try to make this happen.  There has not been an agreement on a specific date.  The authorities here have certainly gotten the impression that Washington would like to make this visit happen, and believe it would be useful.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, unfortunately PKK terrorism is not the only issue around Turkey.  There is also quite a big problem in Lebanon at the moment.  How do you evaluate Turkish diplomatic efforts in terms of finding a solution to problems between Israel and Hamas and now between Israel and Hizbullah?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  Turkey was very helpful in the early stages of this crisis in trying to help use its influence with the Syrians in particular, and to some extent also with the Palestinians, to bring about the release of the Israeli soldier who was kidnapped by the Hamas military wing, and also to help bring about an end to the rocket attacks on Israeli population centers from northern Gaza.  The Prime Minister’s foreign affairs advisor, Mr. Davutoglu, went to Damascus for this purpose.  This was in response to a US request that Turkey try to use its influence.  We appreciated it.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t as successful as I think we and Turkey might have hoped.  We certainly hope now that Turkey will continue to try to use its influence with the Palestinians, with the Syrians, with anybody to help bring an end to these attacks on Israel, to bring about the release of the Israeli soldiers that are being held hostage, and through those means to bring about a de-escalation of this crisis, to get the region back on the road toward peace.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, as you said Mr. Davutoglu, the advisor of the Prime Minister, was in Damascus recently.  He also had a talk with Hamas.  Were you informed about this meeting in advance, or were you informed after the meeting?  Was it part of your request to have a meeting between Turkey and Hamas during this visit?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  We asked that Turkey use its influence with Syria, and particularly with President Assad, to help bring about a de-escalation with respect to Gaza and the soldier who had been taken.  We did not do a lot of elaborate coordinating beforehand on exactly who he was going to see or what he was going to do.  I was informed of the fact that he met with Mr. Meshal some time later.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, I also have a question about the nuclear tension with Iran.  Turkey is also trying to play a role between Western countries and Iran during this crisis.  Are you satisfied with Turkey’s efforts in this area, or do you have more requests from Turkey in terms of finding a solution?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  We have worked very hard, and I have worked very hard, to ensure that the United States and Turkey were in close consultations on issues related to the Iran nuclear problem, and that we were working in tandem or in harmony toward the same ends.  And to that end, Foreign Minister Gul has had a number of contacts, the Prime Minister has had a number of contacts, and others have had contacts with the Iranian authorities to encourage them to cooperate fully with the IAEA, to abandon their uranium enrichment efforts, to get back to the negotiating table with the EU-3.  Since the so-called P-5-plus-1 offer that was made to the Iranians in early June, the package that put forward a number of incentives that would be available to Iran if it abandons its nuclear programs, we have asked that Turkey try to use its influence and its contacts with the Iranians to accept this package as a basis for negotiation and to do so quickly.  The Foreign Minister did this in late June when he went to Tehran, prior to his visit to Washington.  He did it again after his visit to Washington, when he went to Tehran for a meeting of the foreign ministers of the neighbors of Iraq.  I am not aware that there have been discussions in the days since then, but that role is one that we attach a lot of importance to.  Turkey has a big role to play.  Its fundamental interests with respect to the Iranian nuclear program are the same as ours, the same as our European friends and allies, the same as all permanent members of the UN Security Council, and we appreciate that.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, two last questions.  Probably you are aware of the discussions going on in Turkey about the Saudi businessman Yasin el-Qadi.  What is the present situation of el-Qadi from the point of view of US officials?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  My understanding is that el-Qadi has been designated by the United Nations as a terrorist financier.  This designation came pursuant to procedures that were established in UN Security Council resolutions passed in the weeks and months after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, steps that the international community instituted in order to deal more effectively than we had before 9/11 with the problem of terrorism.  Countries have a responsibility to take steps pursuant to these UN designations.  Any assets of his in the United States should have been frozen.  He should not be able to enter the United States.  I think there are some other technical steps also that flow from these kinds of designations, either under the UN Security Council measures or under US law.

QUESTION:  Last question – we started with the PKK issue, and I would like to finish with a question about that same issue.  What is your message for the Turkish people?  Can you say that the US is determined to help Turkey against the PKK in the short term with concrete steps.  What is your message to the Turkish people?

AMBASSADOR WILSON:  My message to the Turkish people is that the United States has been helping with concrete steps, is helping with concrete steps, and will continue to help with concrete steps against PKK terrorism.  We are determined to increase the effectiveness of the actions that we and Turkey and Iraq together can take.  There are a range of things that need to be done here.  There is no single magic bullet.  That’s not the way that international terrorism works.  We want to be effective.  We want, and I would expect the Turkish Government wants to do it in as peaceful and cooperative a manner as possible to minimize the loss of life and to ensure that it is effective.  The United States is an ally of Turkey.  We will stand with our Turkish ally during this period of difficulty for Turks, for the citizens of this country, just as Turkey has stood with us.