In
an interview on the sidelines of the United Nations' annual General
Assembly meeting here, Mr. Gul said Turkey would adhere to sanctions
imposed by the U.N. on Iran. But, he said, punitive economic measures
against Iran are "not productive." In general, he said,
such steps risk breeding "hatred and hostility among the
people."
Turkey has sought to keep good relations with neighboring
countries in the interest of fostering the growth of the Turkish
economy, which has been expanding rapidly. In May, Ankara worked on a
deal under which Iran would ship part of its uranium stockpile to
Turkey to be further enriched and turned into reactor fuel and
medical isotopes.
That agreement failed to satisfy the U.S. and European countries
that had tried to negotiate a stricter pact with Tehran, and in June,
the U.N. Security Council imposed new economic sanctions on Iran.
Turkey and Brazil voted against the move.
"We do not take the nuclear issue lightly," said Mr.
Gul. "We would be the first ones under threat" if Iran had
nuclear arms. At the same time, Turkey is intent on preserving peace
in the region. "If you don't have stability, you can't have
economic cooperation."
Turkey shares borders with both Iraq and Iran. The U.S.-led war in
Iraq, which resulted in political instability and economic
dislocation, came "at a cost to Turkey," Mr. Gul said. "We
would not want to see the same kind of problem" in Iran, he
said.
Mr. Gul also said Israel's conduct in May, when Israeli forces
boarded a ship attempting to break its embargo on the Gaza strip and
killed nine people, is "not something we can disregard." He
said Israel needed to be dealt with according to international law.
"Then, we can speak of normalization," Mr. Gul said.
"The mistake must be admitted, an apology must be expressed
and compensation must be paid," Mr. Gul said. "We are not
happy with the way our relations stand at the moment. But it's not
our doing."
Mr. Gul disputed Israeli President Shimon Peres's assertion Monday
that the Turkish leader had scrapped a planned meeting because of Mr.
Peres's refusal to apologize for the raid. "I did not cancel any
meeting," he said, adding that there had been no agreed program.
The Turkish president dismissed the view of some critics who say
Turkey is turning away from the West. Mr. Gul said Turkey's vote this
month to amend the country's constitution, promulgated after a
military coup in 1980, was part of Turkey's effort to strengthen its
democratic institutions as it seeks to join the European Union.
"Turkey is a country that is working toward full membership
in the EU," said Mr. Gul. "Turkey's direction, Turkey's
orientation, is very clear."