We strongly condemn the destruction, by a terrorist attack on the 13th of June, 2007, of the two standing minarets of the Askariya Mosque in the city of Samarra in Iraq, whose dome was also previously bombed on 22 February, 2006. It is obvious that this is a deliberate attack to further escalate sectarian conflicts and to prevent the reconciliation process in Iraq.

Turkey vigorously supports the national dialogue and the political reconciliation process towards the reinstitution of stability, peace, calm and prosperity in Iraq.

It is imperative that all the various political groups in Iraq act constructively and with common sense for the reconciliation process to succeed. Therefore, Turkey believes that the Iraqi groups must prevent this type of provocative actions which may lead to further bloodshed.