Turkey for preserving Iraqi territorial integrity

The Turkish prime minister Polent Acawit has stressed the great importance given by Turkey to the unity and territorial integrity of the Iraqi territories and to developing friendship and cooperation relations between Ankara and Iraq.

In a written message he sent on Monday to the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, through the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad, Acawit added the current situation is very grave and that Iraq is facing a new threat. He called on Iraq to take tangible steps especially to lifting the sanctions, a process challenged by the UN inspectors.

The Turkish prime minister indicated the heavy losses that will be inflicted on Turkey as a result of the grave results if Iraq will not open its territories to the UN inspectors. He stressed that his country will spare no efforts to consolidate Iraq's unity and territorial integrity on solid ground.