speeches

Remarks by Ambassador Eric S. Edelman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ankara, September 13, 2004

Ambassador Eric Edelman: I don’t have a formal statement. I’ve just been into see a couple of colleagues on a range of issues. But if there are a couple of questions, I’m happy to answer them.

Q: Could you tell us what’s going on in Tal Afar. The Turkmen side is quite worried about it. They believe that the Peshmerge are sort of leading the American forces there. What do you say to these allegations?

Ambassador Edelman: Well, first, I think it’s very important that everybody, when dealing with the situation in Tal Afar, operate on the basis of facts rather than rumors or exaggerated reports. I believe that the operations are beginning to wind down in Tal Afar. This was an operation that was not directed at the population -- the Turkmen population -- in Tal Afar by any means, but at a group of insurgents who had taken control of the city. We’re trying to restore the city to the proper authorities, the Iraqi Interim government. Given what we discovered had taken place in Najaf, under the reign of the militias that had operated there, and what we hear is going on in Felucca, I think it is for the benefit of the population of Tal Afar that these forces be rooted out. In contact with our colleagues in Iraq, we believe that the operation has been conducted with great care to minimize civilian casualties. In military operations, of course, it’s not possible to totally eliminate that possibility, but we do believe that they have been minimized. We are working now with colleagues here, bearing in mind the concerns that the government of Turkey has conveyed to us, to work to get humanitarian assistance into the city. We’re hoping that will happen soon.

Q: When do you expect that the operation can come to an end -- in one or two days or maybe couple of weeks?

Ambassador Edelman: I believe that operations are beginning to wind down, but I’m not on the scene and can’t really comment on the actual military side. We will have to get the word from our colleagues there.

Q: There are claims in newspapers from the Turkmen leader in Ankara, the representative here, claiming that the Kurds are trying to move to that area, where there are now no Kurds, instead of the Turkmen.

Ambassador Edelman: I don’t believe that’s the case. We have established positive control checkpoints on the outside of the city. I don’t believe that there are any people moving into the city to try to change the demographic balance. I just don’t believe that’s the case.

Q: Ambassador, do you believe the Turkmen are cooperating with what you call the insurgents.

Ambassador Edelman: Well, I wouldn’t want to characterize a whole group, or a whole population. The people of Tal Afar have, by and large, been a peaceful population outside of any fighting. What we are hoping to do is to prevent them from being dragged into it. That is the purpose of the operation.

Q: But do you have any information whether there might be some individual Turkmen cooperating with the insurgents?

Ambassador Edelman: That’s certainly a possibility I can’t rule out. But, as I said, this operation was aimed at the insurgents and not at the peaceful population of Tal Afar.

Q: Ambassador, one last question. If you are trying to save the city from the insurgents, then wouldn’t you have expected a call for cooperation from the Turkmen who are living there?

Ambassador Edelman: Well, 50,000 people left the city before the operation began, which is an indication that something in Tal Afar was not right. So we are, as I said, doing our best to have a very limited military operation, to take into account the civilian population, to minimize causalities. That’s exactly what we’ve tried to do. Thanks.