Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said on Saturday that his country had failed in efforts to persuade neighboring Iraq to allow UN arms inspections to return.
Ecevit, returning to Ankara from a visit to the United States where he discussed Iraq with President George Bush, said Turkey had written to Baghdad, urging compliance with the arms inspections.
“The Iraqi government must obey UN decisions to establish a more secure world. We have received an answer to the letter but we don't think it is enough. The Iraq government must not act in a way that makes regional states worry,” the Turkish prime minister was quoted by agencies as saying.
After meeting with the US President, Ecevit recounted that the question of Iraq had been discussed in his talks with Bush, but nothing was said about an operation, and Ecevit remarked that it was understood that there were no plans for an operation at this stage. Bush also assured Ecevit that he would consult Turkey about any possible military strike against Iraq as part of the war against terrorism. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
