Statements by U.S. Officials

Remarks by Deputy National Security Advisor J. D. Crouch Following his Meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ankara, June 4, 2006

J.D. CROUCH:  Thank you very much for this opportunity.  It is great to be here in Ankara on this beautiful beginning of summer day.  I also want to particularly thank the Government of Turkey for their hospitality in the meeting with me today on a Sunday, when I know that they are normally out doing other things.  We had a very good set of discussions today.  We focused on areas of our mutual interest.  Turkey is an extremely important ally of the United States, and of course a regional leader.  We discussed the ongoing issues with respect to Iraq.  We spent quite a bit of time talking about the Iranian situation, and also covered a broader set of regional issues. It was a very fruitful discussion.  From here I am going on to Bucharest where there is going to be a discussion on the Black Sea issues, and I thought it was important that I come here to Turkey to consult with our friends in the Turkish Government on those issues prior to going out  to Bucharest.  Those are the main issues and the main objectives of my visit.

QUESTION:  Ahmadinejad said that they are going to consider the EU’s proposition.  What do you think about this?  Is it your hope that Iran will cooperate with the EU?

J.D. CROUCH:  The President made a very important decision last week and put a very sincere offer on the table that we hope the Iranians will take, and that we can in fact get to the negotiating table and resolve these issues diplomatically.  There will be an EU offer which will include certain incentives and we think that is a good thing if the Iranian Government will take a careful look at that offer.  I think they will find our offer to be a part of this process -- if they suspend their enrichment activities – as a positive way forward. 

QUESTION: What are your expectations for cooperation regarding the Black Sea? 

J.D. CROUCH:  Turkey is, and has been, a leader in the Black Sea and in developing cooperation in the Black Sea region.  We would hope that Turkey would continue to take that leadership role.  There a lot of issues and opportunities in the Black Sea region in terms of developing political cooperation, economic interaction, and what I like to call soft security issues that need to be dealt with, things like trafficking or narcotics trafficking and problems having to do with the movement of materials and the like.  So there are areas where the Governments in the region I think can cooperate, and the Forum that I am going to tomorrow in Bucharest is an opportunity to talk about those issues and to see where we can continue to cooperate. 

Thank you.