Statements by U.S. Officials

Remarks By Gen. (Ret.) Joseph Ralston

Special Envoy for Countering the PKK
Following Meetings at The Prime Ministry

Ankara, September 13, 2006

GENERAL RALSTON:  Good afternoon.  I would like to say a couple of words, and then maybe take a couple of questions from you.  I have had extensive meetings today with the Turkish authorities.  First of all I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the families of the victims of the terrorist attack in Diyarbakir last evening, and to all Turkish citizens.  This was an absolutely horrific attack that clearly demonstrates the degree of the problem that we have to work on.  It is my job for the United States as a Special Envoy for Countering the PKK, and that means working with my Turkish counterpart General Baser, Turkish authorities, the Iraqi Government to come up with a series of measures that we can take to counter the PKK.  We want these measures to be effective and efficient, and they are urgently needed.  So I look forward to getting to work right away in solving this problem.  I am happy to take any questions that you may have.

QUESTION:  You said the measures will be effective, so could you please tell the Turkish community what concrete steps the US Government will take?  People want to see concrete steps from the United States.  What will be your first step?

GENERAL RALSTON:  This is what the task is for General Baser and I and the Iraqi Government to work.  But there will be a wide range of measures some of which will be visible, some of which will be behind the scenes and not visible.  But in any case I understand the need on the part of the Turkish public to see concrete measures that will be effective against countering the PKK.

QUESTION:  Earlier today on TV you said that using military force against the PKK will be the last resort, the last option to be employed.  So my question is why does the US Government hesitate to deal directly with the PKK which has been a problem for Turkey since 1984 while at the same time it is very urgently starting operations in countries which it defines as terrorist countries?

GENERAL RALSTON:  I think there are a couple of questions there.  Number one, every country in the world has a terrorist threat of one kind or another.  And every country in the world rightly understands that their terrorist threat is the most important threat to be countered.  I understand why the PKK is very important to Turkey and to the Turkish public, and countering the PKK is extremely important.  The question you referred to about use of force that I discussed on TV was in response to a question about were we going to use force. I expressed the belief, as all military people would say, that the use of force ought to be the last resort, not the first resort.  But there are times when other measures are not effective and one must use force.  Nothing is off the table.  All things are on the table.  And that’s what we will work through with our counterparts in the Turkish authorities and the Iraqi authorities -- to come up with the best measures to use. 

Thank you very much.