All Means Should be Sought Before War on Iraq: Turkish PM

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, January 06, 2003

All Means Should be Sought Before War on Iraq: Turkish PM

Visiting Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul stressed in Cairo on Sunday that all means should be sought before going in for a war on Iraq.

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Visiting Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul stressed in Cairo on Sunday that all means should be sought before going in for a war on Iraq.

"We should do everything before (launching) a war on Iraq," Gul told CNN in the Egyptian capital of Cairo.

All the diplomatic ways should be sought because the repercussions of the war will be very dangerous in the region, he said, adding "I am sure that the Iraqi regime should understand this."

Recent statements made by US President George W. Bush, Secretaryof State Colin Powell and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan put emphasis on peace and "this means that (there is) still a last chance for peace," Gul stressed.

He also warned against any negative impact of the Iraqi war on Turkey, saying Turkey suffered a lot during the Gulf War in 1991.

"That is why the people of Turkey are very much concerned about the war (on Iraq)," he said, adding that he was on his Mideast tourto look for "non-violent solution" to the Iraqi crisis.

Egypt is part of Gul's maiden Mideast visit, which has taken himto Syria and will also take him to Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Gul arrived in the Red Sea resort on Sunday morning for a brief visit to Egypt. Earlier in the day, he held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at Sharm el-Sheikh on the Iraqi crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

In the afternoon, the Turkish prime minister traveled to Cairo for talks with Arab League chief Amr Moussa.

Turkey has been under mounting US pressure to offer support for a possible war on Iraq, a neighbor of Turkey in the south.

In late December, the Turkish government decided to shelve a US request for its support after a series of political and military meetings.

Washington has requested the use of Turkish air bases and sea ports as well as the deployment of some 80,000 troops on the Turkish soil for the expected war.

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