Statement for Spokesman of Ministry of Foreign
Affairs on Turkish Government’s Stand

IRAQI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

March 11, 2003

Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gol claimed in a press conference, on the last day of his government, that Iraq lost an opportunity when it did not respond to Istanbul statement.

Istanbul statement did not submit any specific proposal for Iraq, but to cooperate with inspectors.

It seems that Mr. Gol did not listen to Blix, Al-Baradei’s reports which were submitted to the SC on 7-3-2003 and stressed clearly on Iraq’s cooperation and disclosed US-British claims.

Gol government took a number of war procedures before the US and British administrations’ decision to launch aggression.

Turkish procedures were the closing of their borders with Iraq, impeding the arrival of various kinds of goods exported to Iraq according to the memorandum of understanding and halting the Joint Trade Agreement, which are incompatible with good neighborly relations and international conventions.

Gol government adopted the same negative stands of the former government in 1990-1991 which caused economic damages to Turkey estimated at 180 billion dollars during the thirteen-year embargo on Iraq.