Statements by U.S. Officials

Ambassador David Satterfield Interview With Osman Sert, CNN-Turk

Ankara, April 20, 2007

 

QUESTION: Ambassador Satterfield, thank you very much for joining us. It's a very important visit and it's very crucial timing. First of all I want to start with General Buyukanit's words: if you ask me if a cross-border operation is necessary, yes, it is necessary and it should be done. What is the American view on that?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD:  Well, we certainly respect General Buyukanit's position. His remarks are a matter for Turkish consideration. With respect to our views of the situation in northern Iraq and the Kurdish areas, we do not find it acceptable that a terrorist group operates from the territory of a friendly country conducting cross-border terrorist operations against another friendly country.  This has to stop.  And the first responsibility for taking actions to bring this unacceptable situation to a close lies with the leaders of the Kurdish area.  And we, as well as the Turkish government, are in dialogue with them to bring about this objective. We also have a very strong, a very constructive dialogue directly with the Turkish government, the Turkish General Staff, and we are of course in contact, in touch with, the Iraqi government. But our views on this are very clear. This terror must stop. And we are very sympathetic to the losses which the Turkish nation has suffered -- innocent Turks who have died as a result of this terror.

 

QUESTION: Mr. Ambassador, you are not the first American diplomat or bureaucrat saying these words, but nothing is happening when you look at the issue from the point of view of the Turkish people on the street. If Turkey makes a cross-border operation, within one month, let's say, what would the American reaction be?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD: I'm not going to speculate on hypotheticals.  What I will say is that we very much hope that actions are taken that do not make it necessary for military actions to be undertaken, for a cross-border action to be undertaken. We would hope that real measures that address Turkish concerns, indeed address the concerns of the United States, as well as the positions of the Kurdish leadership, who themselves regard this organization, the PKK, as terrorists. That, combined, we can see steps taken that prevent the need for the kind of operations that you describe.

 

QUESTION: Will these steps be taken soon?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD: We want them to be taken as urgently as possible.

 

QUESTION: And you are also urging the Kurdish leaders regarding taking these steps?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD: We are making particularly clear to the Kurdish leadership they must take these meaningful actions as rapidly as possible.

 

QUESTION: And what will be – not only the Kurdish because when you go to the Iraqis, they are saying, ok this country is ours, but America is in charge of so many things in our country, in charge of security, especially. Will America take some steps regarding maybe detaining some leaders of the PKK or something like that? Because also General Ralston is trying to do something and patience is running out in Turkey.

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD:  We are doing all we can to deal with this situation in the context of what should be a Kurdish responsibility in the first instance to take steps that curtail the terrorist activities of the PKK.  But I'm not going to speculate beyond that.

 

QUESTION: There is some criticism about Mr. Barzani's words that the Kurdish region will be independent within 10-15 years, that it is a legitimate right for the Kurdish people in Iraq. What is your view on that?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD: We have made very clear that public statements by any party including recent remarks by Mr. Barzani that inflame and incite the situation rather than build consensus, build reconciliation, and build understanding should be avoided. We made very clear to Mr. Barzani that his recent remarks were not constructive, were not helpful.

 

QUESTION: Can you guarantee that Barzani won't make such statements again?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD: Of course not.  He is an independent political figure and political leader. But we have made clear our views regarding the unhelpful character of remarks of this kind.

 

QUESTION: In Turkey some circles are thinking that Barzani is so courageous because the Americans are supporting him, giving all the money or space for him, and that's why he can make such statements.  The blame is on the US.

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD:  Responsibility for activities in the Kurdish region lie in the first instance with the Kurdish regional government and with the Kurdish leaders themselves and nowhere else.

 

QUESTION: Including Baghdad?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD: They lie in the first instance with the Kurdish leadership in the Kurdish regional government area.

 

QUESTION: But what about – this is also a source of concern for Turkey because the central government doesn't have any control, any authority in northern Iraq. Why should the Kurds wait to be independent?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD:  That is an issue best addressed to the Kurdish leadership itself.  They have said repeatedly they wish to be part of a unified single Iraq, based upon a federal structure. And that federal structure already exists in law.  The constitution reflects the existence of the Kurdish region as a federal unit of Iraq. The Kurds have accepted that; the Kurds have supported the constitution. You should address to their leadership any further clarification of their position on this.

 

QUESTION:  Again about the cross-border operation, there are some reports in the American press that Turkey gave a deadline to the US at the end of April…

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD: I am simply not going to comment on any reports of deadlines or internal discussions.

 

QUESTION: Can you say that there is no deadline…

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD:  I am not going to comment on this issue. You should refer that question to the Turkish General Staff and the Turkish government.

 

QUESTION: But also you are a part of the discussion…

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD: I am not going to comment.

 

QUESTION: Ok. Regarding the Kirkuk referendum, you know Turkey is waiting for the postponement of the referendum.  There are some statements that are starting to come from Washington. What is the situation? Can the referendum be postponed?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD: We've made very clear in the statements which we have made over some time regarding this issue, the following points: the resolution of the question of Kirkuk is laid out in the Iraqi constitution – the formula, the structure, the framework. This is, at the end of the day, an internal sovereign issue for Iraqis to decide, but we very much hope, and we have certainly encouraged and will continue to encourage a resolution of this question, like other questions before the Iraqi people, on the basis of consensus by all concerned, in a manner that addresses and supports and advances reconciliation instead of division and confrontation.  We've also made another point clear.  This is a sovereign Iraqi decision; however, the friends of Iraq, including Turkey and the United States, have a right to express our views on this question.

 

QUESTION: Can a referendum held in 2007 contribute to instability in Iraq?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD: I'll answer that question by repeating again -- what should be the goal of any political process in Iraq, or the addressor of any issue including Kirkuk? It should be achieving consensus, to execute that consensus, to advance national reconciliation and harmony and not work against that objective.

 

QUESTION: I know that one of the main topics for your visit is the expanded meeting for Iraq, including the neighbors, the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and G-8. In Turkey there was disappointment that it would not be held in Istanbul – suddenly it became Sharm el-Sheik. Why?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD:  That was a decision by the Iraqi government.

 

QUESTION: But everyone is expecting that the American authorities have very strong control on Iraqis and if America insists on Istanbul it would be Istanbul.

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD:  Look, the United States does not have strong control over a sovereign government's sovereign decisions, nor should we. This was an Iraqi decision. It was a decision which they took for their own reasons. We very much hope, and we understand it is the position of the Turkish government as well, that the meetings in Sharm el-Sheik produce a success.

 

QUESTION:  What do you expect from the meetings? I'm not talking about Iraq, but also some dialogue with Iran or Syria.

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD:  Well the first purpose of these meeting is certainly to serve the interests of Iraq, the region, the neighbors, the region more broadly and the international community by drawing out greater cooperation, greater dialogue and greater integration between Iraq, economically, commercially, Iraq politically with those around it and with the broader world community.  There will be two meetings in Sharm el-Sheik.  The first ministerial will be the formal launching of the international compact for Iraq. This is a detailed plan of economic, commercial and trade reforms. It is a very extraordinary document. It should be welcomed by Iraq's neighbors, by the region, by the international community with meaningful support. We very much hope that support will be present in Sharm el-Sheik. It is important Iraq is a part of a collective. It is not isolated. That's the way to build moderation within that country – trade ties, economic ties, advancing the cause of economic opportunity in Iraq. That's a good way of stabilizing the situation and building support for moderation. 

 

The second meeting is the "neighbors plus," or expanded neighbors ministerial – P5, G-8, the European Union will attend that session in addition to Iraq's neighbors. There we hope to see on the political side the same sort of outreach from Iraq to its neighbors from the neighbors to Iraq, that builds greater support for the cause of moderation, for progress by the Iraqi government, because it is the Iraqi government around which this process is built, greater progress by that government on its national reconciliation agenda. At the end of the day it's national reconciliation, political reconciliation that is going to stabilize Iraq.

 

QUESTION: Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mottaki was in Ankara just a few days ago and they expressed their concerns about the meeting in Sharm el-Sheik. Did the Turkish officials share the views that Motttaki expressed in Ankara?  Do you expect Iran to attend the meeting?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD:  We would hope that all of Iraq's neighbors attend these meetings.

 

QUESTION: I know you said that you don't want to speculate but if Mottaki is there, should we expect a meeting between the Americans and Iranians?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD: No.

 

QUESTION:  That's certain.

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD:  We have made clear that my government is prepared for a dialogue on Iraq-related issues conducted by our Ambassador in Baghdad and that offer remains.

 

QUESTION: Nobody else. Ok – A final questions on the Bush administration strategy to stabilize Baghdad, but it is less stable each day. Is the way out being closed by the explosions in Baghdad?

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD:  Let's take a look at what the sources of violence are that we are watching in Baghdad.  Those explosions, the terrible murders by suicide bombs of innocent Iraqis, they are the responsibility of al-Qaeda which has launched a brutal campaign for the past year and more against Iraqi civilians, primarily Shiite. They are intended to explode the progress that is being made in addressing another source of violence – sectarian killings, expulsion of communities. The level of violence in the form of sectarian killings is down to its lowest level in over a year. It is because of that success that al-Qaeda, the terrorists, are trying to literally blow up the situation by reviving the flames, reigniting the flames of sectarian tension.

 

QUESTION: But there are some reports that al-Qaeda is responsible for 10% of the insurgency and the Sunnis and the Iraqis themselves are making these blasts.

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD:  These blasts, these terrible suicide bombings are coming from one source – al-Qaeda terror. Who are those blowing themselves up? The vast majority are not Iraqis. They are foreign.  Where are they coming from? The vast majority are coming across the Syrian border. And that is an issue for the government of Syria to address.

 

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, thank you very much.

 

AMBASSADOR SATTERFIELD: Thank you.