"WE WERE SUPPORTED, NOT PERMITTED"
Justice and Development (AK) Party Deputy Chairman Egemen Bagis said that cross-border operation of Turkish Armed Forces(TSK) in the north of Iraq showed Turkey's determination to end PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party] terrorism.
Speaking at a conference on Turkey in Princeton University in the United States on Saturday [1 March], Bagis recalled that US President George W. Bush had said that PKK terrorist organization is the common enemy of Turkey, Iraq and the United States during his meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at White House on November 5th, 2007.
Bagis said that TSK's operation brought a new stage to Turkey's strategic relations with the United States.
Noting that the operation was staged with contributions of Turkey, the USA and Iraq, Bagis said that the tripartite cooperation will continue and the operations will be pursued if necessary.
Bagis said that the United States gave support, not permission, to Turkey's operation to the north of Iraq. He added that share of intelligence between Turkey and United States prevented the civilian losses in the north of Iraq.