Statements by U.S. offficials

Remarks by Gen. (Ret.) Joseph Ralston
Special Envoy for Countering the PKK
Following Meetings with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul

Ankara, January 30, 2007

GENERAL RALSTON:  General Baser and I have been in discussions most of the day today and this morning culminating with the meeting with a Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister Gul.  We have many actions in front of us that we have been working on to counter the PKK terrorist organization.  I wish that we could go into more detail than we can, but all of you understand and your viewers understand that we are talking about counterterrorism, and then there are many aspects of that that we cannot discuss publicly, because that would not be helpful to what we are trying to achieve.  Just let me tell you that we remain very focused on this effort with a lot of initiatives.  And I am hopeful that if we can have some patience on the part of the Turkish population and on the part of the media, we will be successful in our task.  The last thing I would say is I visited Makhmour camp in northern Iraq yesterday.  So I could go and see first hand the effort of the soldiers that are there -- not only the Iraqi soldiers, but the American soldiers that have been involved in securing this camp.  We have many actions underway there.  But I think that was a useful report to give back to General Baser and to Minister Gul.  General Baser, please.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ralston, you are coming from Makhmour camp.  And the Turkish side is expecting the closure of the camp.  Do you expect such a thing will happen soon, and did you talk about general amnesty to the Turkish officials?

GENERAL RALSTON:  No, I have not talked about a general amnesty.  This is an issue for the Turkish people.  With regard to Makhmour, we have made a lot of progress there.  We have cleared the camp of any PKK members.  The camp is cleared of any arms.  A census has been done.  The UN is in the process of registering the people that are there to give them identification cards.  If you have an ID card, you can be in the camp.  If you don’t have an ID card, you can’t be in the camp.  There are some efforts that need to be done with regard to a written agreement between Turkey, Iraq, and the United Nations that is being worked on by members of the Foreign Ministry here.  That is very important, because that has to do with the repatriation of the Turkish citizens who are there.  I might add that the vast majority of the people there are children.  And so these are Turkish citizens, children that, in my view, it would be helpful to everyone if they were repatriated back to Turkey.  Thank you.

QUESTION:  (inaudible) talked with Mr. Barzani there in northern Iraq.  How did you see his wish to struggle against PKK?

GENERAL RALSTON:  I did have meeting with President Barzani.  I did not have a press conference there as was reported in some of the press today.  But I continue to have discussions with President Barzani, because I believe that I can convince him that the PKK is a threat to the stability of northern Iraq as well as a threat to the Turkish people.  And I have solicited his help in closing down and countering the PKK terrorist organization.