Statements by U.S. Officials

Remarks By Undersecretary Of Defense For Policy - Douglas Feith - Following His Meeting With Foreign Minister Gul

Ankara, January 31, 2005

UNDERSECRETARY DOUGLAS FEITH: Hello. I had a very good meeting with Minister Gul. We had a good discussion of quite a wide range of issues -- from Iraq to Afghanistan, to the Proliferation Security Initiative, and NATO. I explained to the Minister how important the relationship between the United States and Turkey is, and how important it is for each of us, how important it is for the NATO alliance. The contributions that our cooperation has made in Afghanistan in the war on terrorism have been very substantial. There is a lot more that we can do together in serving the interests that the United States and Turkey have in common. Now I’ll be happy to take some questions.

QUESTION: Mr. Feith, you are one of the architects of the war against Iraq. You and your colleagues claimed that there were some weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and this intelligence is understood to be false. Is there a linkage between this and your decision to resign this summer?

UNDERSECRETARY DOUGLAS FEITH: The concerns we had about Iraq and the danger that Iraq could provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups were serious concerns. Iraq, after all, was a country that had weapons of mass destruction, had used weapons of mass destruction against the Iranians and against its own people. It had defied the international community on that subject. It was reasonable to worry about those programs. It is clear that the Iraqis had weapons of mass destruction programs. The principal error in the intelligence was whether the Iraqis had stockpiles as opposed to programs. What we found is that they had the programs; they didn’t have the stockpiles. But the essence of the danger was, I think, in the programs and in the history of Iraq as a country that had used weapons of mass destruction, supported terrorist organizations, and was a threat to its neighbors and a threat to the world. So I think that there was a sound strategic rationale for what was done in Iraq, and I the world is much better off for the removal of the Saddam Hussein regime. I think, as the election yesterday showed, the Iraqi people are much better off. The Iraqi people had an important day yesterday. They showed up by the millions to defy people who were threatening to kill them if they voted. What the Iraqi people demonstrated was that they value the opportunity to vote enough to be willing to risk their lives to do it. It was an important day and a great accomplishment.

QUESTION: Sir, do you share Turkey’s concerns regarding the status of Kirkuk? And how do you evaluate Mr. Barzani’s latest statement saying that they are demanding an independent Kurdish state?

UNDERSECRETARY DOUGLAS FEITH: The issue of Kirkuk is an important one. It is an issue that is going to be resolved by the Iraqis. It is an issue that has been addressed, as you know, in the Transitional Administrative Law. It is going to be worked on by the Iraqis from the point of view that this is not a matter for one group or another, but for the Iraqi people in general. We support that view. As you know, the United States strongly believes that it is crucial that the territorial integrity of Iraq be preserved, that unity of the country be preserved, and that problems like Kirkuk be solved in a way that reinforces the unity and territorial integrity of the country.

QUESTION: What demands did you make from the Turkish Government as part of your logistic needs in the region?

UNDERSECRETARY DOUGLAS FEITH: We have not made any demands. When we talk with our Turkish friends, it’s not ever in terms of demands. Turkey is a sovereign country, and the United States is a sovereign country, and we deal with each other as two mutually respectful sovereign nations. That’s why our alliance is so strong and healthy. The issue of cooperation with Turkey is one that we are going to work out as circumstances require, and as Turkish officials and American officials decide is mutually beneficial.

QUESTION: Mr. Feith, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said that the United States should propose a withdrawal timetable from Iraq. Did you talk with Minister Gul about this, and what is your comment on the withdrawal?

UNDERSECRETARY DOUGLAS FEITH: We have two important messages that we have to deliver always together regarding our forces in Iraq. One message is our commitment to stay to help the Iraqis so that they can achieve self-government and self-defense. The other is our commitment to leave. We are committed to stay to get the mission done, and we are committed to leave because Iraq doesn’t belong to us, it belongs to the Iraqis. It is our strategic purpose in Iraq to put the Iraqis in a position where they can run their own country, where they can govern themselves, and they can defend themselves. That’s our goal, and we will be very happy when we get to the point where our forces are not at all required or requested by the Iraqis to help them with security or even with training. We’ll be very happy when that time comes. Unfortunately, we are going to have to go on to the next meeting, but it’s been nice talking to you.