NAMIK TAN:

Distinguished members of the press, good afternoon. After making their brief statements, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gül and Secretary of State Dr. Rice will be taking a few questions. In the Q&A session, first an American journalist will be acknowledged followed by a Turkish journalist, and it will continue in that order. Please identify yourself before asking your questions. Thank you.

ABDULLAH GÜL:

Değerli basın mensupları, dost ve müttefik Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nin Dışişleri Bakanı Dr. Rice’ı Türkiye’de ağırlamaktan büyük bir mutluluk duyuyoruz. Ziyaretin zamanlanması açısından Türk-Amerikan ilişkilerinin taşıdığı önem açıkça ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu ziyareti Dr. Rice yaptığı için gerçekten her iki ülkenin de çıkarına olmuştur.

Türkiye ve Amerika Birleşik Devletleri çok eski iki müttefiktir. Müttefiklikleri tarih boyunca test edilmiştir ve bu ilişkilerimiz sadece askeri değil siyasi kültürel  ticari birçok sahayı kaplamaktadır. İlişkilerimizin temeli de değerler üzerine oturmaktadır, ki bu da demokrasidir.

Dünyada barışın, istikrarın konuşması, ekonomik gelişme, terörlü mücadele gibi konularda şüphesiz ki bu iki müttefik devamlı istişare edeceklerdir ve yakın çalışma içinde olacaklardır.

Bugünkü görüşmemizde çok samimi iki müttefikin kendisine açılabileceği kadar samimi ortam içerisinde bütün uluslararası konuları, bölgesel konuları, komşumuzda Irak’da olan meseleleri ve diğer önem verdiğimiz bütün meseleleri gayet samimi bir ortam içerisinde, detaylı bir şekilde konuştuk. Ve inanıyorum ki bu konuştuklarımızı hep beraber takip edeceğiz ve iki müttefik olarak çok daha sıkı işbirliği ve istişare süreci içerisinde olacağız.

Ben kendisine bir kez daha hoş geldiniz diyorum ve buradan ayrılırken de tabii iyi yolculuklar diliyorum.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE:

Thank you very much Minister. I have very much enjoyed my brief visit here to Turkey and look forward to returning at a future time. We’ve had very fruitful discussions, and I wanted to come here as a part of my first trip as Secretary of State to talk about the very important strategic relationship that the United States and Turkey enjoy. A relationship that is based on interest, a relationship that is based on a common view of the future, but most importantly, a realtionship that is based on common values. I wanted also to come, to talk about some of the most important issues before us. We did talk about Iraq, and I reiterated the commitment of the United States to a unified Iraq, the territorial integrity of Iraq, to an Iraq which is at peace with its neighbours. And Iraq in which all Iraqis, regardless of religious or ethnic background, Sunnis, Shia, Turcomen, Kurds and other minorities are all welcome and respected. I also wanted to talk to the Minister and we had a good opportunity to talk about America’s commitment that Iraq’s territory should never be a place from which terrorism can be committed against its neighbours, that is what it means to be at peace with your neighbours. And indeed, from the American point of view, whatever terrorist organizations wish to perpetrate crimes against populations have to be treated the same. Whether it is the Al-Qa’dia or the PKK or the Palestinian rejectionist. Terrorism is simply not an acceptable tool in the modern world, and I wanted to be certain that the Minister and his colleagues knew of America’s commitment to rid the region of terrorism including terrorism that might take place from the territory of Iraq. We also had a very good opportunity to talk about future issues: the importance of getting back on track to resolution of the Cyprus issue. We had an opportunity to talk about our hopes for a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and here I was very much pleased to receive the the advice and council of the Minister who’s recently been in the Middle East, and I am now on my way there, and we will be in contact about what we can do to promote the opportunities for a sustained momentum toward peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. And finally, we had an opportunity to talk about our hopes for the broader Middle East, Middle East of reform and opportunity. A Middle East in which democracy flourishes and in which there are transparent governments. And we talked about the special role that Turkey can play in that initiative, and our joint desires for a Middle East in which all people live in freedom and liberty and prosperty.

Thank you very much Minister, and I want to thank also the Prime Minister for last night and President Sezer, and we look forward to working with you.

ABDULLAH GÜL:  Thank you. 

PETER MACKLER, Agence France Press:

Madame Secretary, your next stop is in the Middle East, where the momentum is picking up and events are moving very rapidly obviously. My question is, exactly how is the United States can be represented in this process? At the Senate confirmation hearings you mention about a special convoy vaguely. We are also hearing reports about possibly creating some sort of mechanism within the State Department to monitor this process. Can you elucidate for us please?

CONDOLEEZZA RICE:

We are examining how United States might best organize itself to be an active partner in what is now we hope a sustained momentum toward progress in the Palestinian- Israeli issue. I believe I said that while we have no objection to a special envoy in theory, we have to determine when that would be most helpful, if indeed at some point in time it is so. So I would not expect to have any announcements about a special envoy, but we are looking to how best to organize, not just for the Department of State, but for its relationship to the parties on the ground and to our missions there so that we can be active partners. We’ll probably have more for you on that as events fold. We are still working on some aspects of it. But it is extremely important, and the Minister and I had very good discussions. He’s just recently met with Prime Minister Sharon and with President Abbas, and he was able to give me some good council on what I might to when I am there.

OSMAN SERT, CNN Türk:

Turkish Prime Minister Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that anti-American tendencies on the rise in Turkey and it is seemingly not valid on Turkey but also for the other democratic countries. What is your comments on that, and do you think unless the United States revises its policies in Iraq the trend can turn reverse? And you claim that American policies try to bring democracy to the Middle East. Don’t you think that the peoples of democratic countries doesn’t understand the United States?

CONDOLEEZZA RICE:

Well, on the last point, it is entirely possible that there isn’t a full understanding of American policies and what America desires. It is incumbent on us to talk more about it, to be able to talk to our friends so that our friends can talk more about what the United States stands for. Obviously, in the relationship with Turkey we have together stood, together through the Cold War, as members of NATO to face down imperial communism, and to see the development of a vibrant and prospering democracy here in Turkey. The United States has been a supporter of the now accession of that vibrant democracy into the European Union when Turkey has met the conditions that are necessary for that. We’ve been active with Turkey in supporting its economic reforms and its relationship to the International Monetary Fund. So right here in Turkey I think we have an example of what a relationship and friendship with the United States can mean, and even when there are differences, as there have been and undoubtedly will be in the future, it is not a comment on the strenght of the relationship, the centrality of the relationship to the two countries. And I would just say to the countries of the Middle East that we recognize and President Bush recognized when he was at White Hall in Great Britain that, for too many years, Administrations, Democratic and Republican, were not sufficently attentive to the aspirations of the people of the Middle East to live in freedom and liberty. This is a universal value that the United States doesn’t hold alone, and certainly would never presume to impose forms of government on other people. Dictators imposed democracies support and nurture each other toward democratic development as we have done here in Turkey. So if we are not getting the message out I hope that we will be better at doing it. As to Iraq, we are turning of course to a new chapter in Iraq with the elections that took place last Sunday. They were the first elections for the Iraqi people on what is definitely going to be a long course toward the development of free and prosperous democratic and united Iraq, but it was an important step. And we are encouraging as are our Turkish allies, encouraging the Iraqis now to use that election and those who come to power as a result of it, to build an Iraq that is respectful of and inclusive of all Iraqis who wish to build a democratic future together. That the Iraqi people face down the fears that the terrorists tried to impose, they went to the polls, they demonstrated that they have a desire for  freedom, and I think we had good discussions about how we can support this process going forward.

JAMES ROZEN, Fox News:

Thank you both very much. A question for each of you, and sort of related to the last, James Rozen with Fox News. We talk about getting messages out, and as you know, everyday in the Arab Media and in Muslim Media we see some of the worst slanders against Jews.  I wonder Secretary Rice, what you will be saying two the Palestinian parties and to others in this region that you haven’t already said before to curb incitement, and for you Sir, as we are on the eve of a  summit between the Israelis and the Palestinians, what message would you send to Arabs and Muslims throughout the Middle East and throughout the World about the fundamental nature in character of genesis of people and whether they deserve respect and so on.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE:

James, I believe when we were at Aqaba, or actually Sharm el-Sheikh before Aqaba, there was a very good discussion with the Arab leaders who were there including Crown Prince Abdullah and King Abdullah of Jordan, and, Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah of Jordan, President Mubarak of Egypt and King of Bahrain that, and of course then Prime Minister Abbas, that the key in many ways to progress is to change the perceptions of each other and the realities of each other if indeed there is going to be a lasting peace in the Middle East. Israel deserves to live in peace in the Middle East, and the Jewish people deserve the respect of their neighbours. We’ve been very clear that incitement cannot be countenanced, it cannot be ignored, that it is not possible simultaneously to say that you want a peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians that is lasting, and at the same time ignore or countenance some of the most horrific caricutures of Israelis or anti-Semitism in any form. Both sides need to make certain that they are presenting positive images of each other, of their cultures. These are great civilizations, both Arab and Islamic civilizations, and of course the Jewish civilization are great civilizations that have contributed greatly to human progress and continue to contribute to human progress, and that needs to be the message that underlies the desire for the states to live in peace. And so, it is indeed a very important message. I think that President Abbas himself has spoken out from time to time about the need to end incitement, and we would expect all parties, Arab, Israeli, Palestinian, to do what they can with their populations to prepare the ground for the peaceful establishment of two states living side by side.

ABDULLAH GÜL:

Kısa bir süre önce ben İsrail ile Filistin’e ziyarette bulundum. Orada ifade ettiğim gibi yeni bir iklim var, iyimser bir iklim. Bu iyimserlik muhakkak gerçeğe dönüşmesi gerekir. Bunun için de Filistinlilerin intihar saldırılarından vazgeçmeleri, İsrail’in de Filistinli liderleri öldürme eyleminden vazgeçmeleri gerekir. Bunu açıkça konuştuk bölgede. Ümit ediyorum ki bu yönde gelişmeler olacak. Zaten bu konuda da karşılıklı mutabakat ortaya çıktı.

Barış sürecinin gerçekleşmesiyle bölgede Filistin ile İsrail Devletinin barış içerisinde, komşuluk içerisinde yaşayabilecekleri ortaya çıkınca eminim ki herkesin birbirine karşı duyduğu bu olumsuzluklar da gidecektir. Çünkü şu bir gerçektir, tarih boyunca tarihin derinliklerinde Müslümanlarla Yahudilerin karşılıklı savaşları, harpleri, birbirlerine karşı katliamları hiç olmamıştır. Bundan dolayı, bu mesele Filistinlilerin kendi ayrı devleti, İsraillilerin ayrı devleti, güvenlik içerisinde bölgede beraber yaşamaya başladıklarında eminim ki yeni bir anlayış da ortaya kendiliğinden çıkacaktır. Onun için hepimizin bu barış sürecine çok daha anlamlı katkılar sağlaması gerekiyor.

EVREN MESCİ, Sabah Gazetesi:

Minister Rice, Turkey and US have some problems. Both sides were uncomfortable, for example Turkey had been criticizing US for its policies in Iraq, and US disliked the criticisms, and within this respect,  what are your expectations from the Turkish Government to avoid the highly increasing anti-Americanism in Turkey and in the region? And, what US will do to reduce the anti-Americanism considering Turkey’s concerns in Kirkuk and PKK? Thank you.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE:

Thank you. Well, we of course are working together on underlying concerns like the presence of terrorist organizations that need to be dealt with. United States has listed of course the PKK as a terrorist organization. We had discussions about the importance of a Kirkuk that is a city in which all Iraqis are welcome and respected, and the need for the Iraqis themselves, and it is going to be their responsibility that the new government that will be a message jointly from the United States and Turkey, that all of these things need to be resolved within a democratic context, but within a democratic context that brings all Iraqis regardless of ethnic or national background to a place that they can be respected in Iraq and be represented and be a part of the new Iraq. We will work on the underlying difficulties that we faced, but as I said, friends have differences from time to time, and the important thing is that we remember that we are still friends. And in doing so, we also said, each of us, that we have a responsibility with our publics, because we are democracies, to speak out for how important and central this relationship is to both of us, to remind all of us and our people of the long history that we have together, of what we’ve achieved together, of what we have supported for one another, and of what a prosperous future we have in working on the many difficult and complicated issues ahead, as well as the bright opportunities ahead. So, I believe that if we continue to talk about not just the differences that we have, but working on those differences, but also the many positive elements of the Turkish-American friendship. The many times that Turkey has supported America, and America Turkey, that any sense that this relationship is somehow not worth sustaining will simply go away. The Turkish population and the American population have to know that this is a critical relationship for both our futures. Thank you.