Ambassador's remarks and public events

Ambassador Ross Wilson Meeting with Anavatan Party Chairman Erkan Mumcu

ANAP Headquarters; Questions From The Press

Ankara, November 24, 2006

AMBASSADOR WILSON: I would just say that the reason for this call is to have one of the periodic conversations with one of the leaders of Turkey’s opposition parties. About a year after my arrival in Turkey and as Turkey heads into what I think will be a very interesting political year in 2007. We've seen each other from time to time at receptions and airports and a few other places, but I look forward to an interesting conversation.

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QUESTIONS FROM THE PRESS

QUESTION: General Ralston was given a warning in his last meeting in Turkey that his arrival was raising the expectations of Turkish people, but there are incomplete results in the end. Will we see some concrete results?

AMBASSADOR WILSON: Certainly General Ralston has made clear in his visits here, in his discussions with the Iraqi authorities, in his talks in Washington as well, that he understands the need for concrete results in the struggle with the PKK and that he is determined to achieve concrete results.

I know that last week he had a good discussion with General Saygun, during the General’s visit to Washington. And I know that he looks forward to meeting with General Basar at some point soon to work on our bilateral agenda in terms of the PKK, looks forward to his continued discussions with the Iraqis, and to continuing this trilateral mechanism that our countries have agreed upon to do what we can urgently and visibly and effectively to take steps to counter the PKK.

QUESTION: How do you evaluate the Pope's visit to Turkey?

AMBASSADOR WILSON: I think that the Pope’s visit to Turkey is extremely important in helping to bridge some of the misunderstandings and misperceptions that have been a problem in world affairs recently between different segments of the world community and different religions in particular.

How the Pope presents himself here and how Turkey receives him I think can go a long way to dispelling some of the tensions that we’ve seen over the last year or so.

The meetings that he has planned with Bartholomew, I think are extremely important also in helping to bridge some of the history and some of the difficulties that have a very, very long history in relations between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox world.

And I look forward to meeting with both of those leaders and hope very much as I said earlier that this is a positive…will send a strong positive signal of mutual understanding, mutual trust and mutual respect among leaders of different religious groups, among Christians, Muslims and others who live in this wonderful and very diverse country here in Turkey.