(Hurriyet) - Details from a Monday meeting between Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ali Tuygan and US Ambassador to Ankara, Ross Wilson, have reached Hurriyet. According to reports, the meeting, which concerned Turkey's growing worries over increasing PKK terror, did not in fact take place in an atmosphere of tension, contrary to press accounts until now.
Tuygan reportedly told Wilson that Turkey's patience had completely run out, and that Ankara was requesting that the US authority "take the most effective action possible in the shortest time possible" against PKK forces in Northern Iraq, reports Trend.
Meeting lasted half an hour
The dialogue between Tuygan and Wilson was reported to Hurriyet as follows:
Tuygan: Mr. Ambassador, in the past two days, we have lost 15 soldiers. We have no patience left. Please, take a look at all of the documents here. I am putting them on the table again. (At this point, Tuygan apparently put the photos and names of 150 top level PKK terrorists on the table, along with intelligence reports on their movements.) This terror, which is drowning Turkish mothers and fathers in tears, is coming, as it appears, from Northern Iraq.
Wilson: I understand, it is very clear.
A report to Baghdad
Tuygan: There is now an Iraqi government in place in Baghdad. The US
has tremendous effect over the coalition forces. We expect that both the US and Iraq take effective action immediately against the PKK forces in Northern Iraq.
Wilson: Don't worry. I will pass on your words immediately to the State Department and Baghdad.
Tuygan: There is constant talk of the three-way mechanism. But there are no results. We do not oppose the three-way mechanism, but there are no results to be seen from it. Though the three-way mechanism could be implemented, there are other steps which could be taken.
Wilson: I agree with you. As it is, I have stated publicly before that the three-way mechanism needs to be made more effective.
Reports from the meeting also indicate that direct statements about Turkey carrying out an over the border military operation against the PKK did not actually come up. An Ankara source speaking to Hurriyet said: "It is very naive to believe that Turkey would have discussed plans to carry out a military operation at a meeting like this. Turkey will decide on its own what it will do. It has given the concrete messages it needed to give to both the US and Iraq. We are now waiting to see what their stance is following our warnings."
Political advisor Zapsu now to meet with Ambassador Wilson
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's top political advisor, Cuneyd Zapsu, will have lunch today in the capital with US Ambassador Wilson, it has been learned. Whether or not the meeting will concern talk of a possible "over the border operation" is still not known.