Gül: Inter-sectarian clashes in the region may lead to catastrophe

The two-day extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Mecca ended early on Thursday morning with a decision to suspend Syria’s membership in the 57-nation organization, despite objections from Iran. Following the summit, Gul came together with Turkish reporters accompanying him on his visit to Saudi Arabia.

Stating that the conference reached its aim, Gul said, “All the leaders agreed over stopping the bloodshed in Syria. They all stated individually as if they all agreed that the transitional period of Syria should take start.”

Gul also said that he touched upon the Syrian issue at the summit, adding, “I explained that Syria should not get into a chaos and it should keep its territorial integrity. The membership of Syria to the OIC has been suspended. When Afghanistan was occupied by Soviets, the same decision had run. By carrying this forward, we know that the Syrian government is now illegitimate.”

In response to a question over the claims about Syrian supply of guns to the terrorist PKK, Gul replied that such a thing was very likely to happen.

Gul also reiterated a warning that Turkey might respond with military action, if it faces a terrorist threat from Syria’s north. Touching upon the rising tension between Turkey and Iran after high level Iranian officials’ statements over Turkey that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were responsible for bloodshed in Syria, Gul said that Turkey was a friend and supporter of Iran and that they had been acting in line with policies and principles over Iran issue.

Gul also warned against the inter-sectarian tension currently on the rise in the region, specifically in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, which he said may lead to a great catastrophe.

During his meeting with reporters, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was also present.

Gul, after attending the summit during which he conducted bilateral talks with his counterparts, completed his program in Mecca and left for Istanbul yesterday.

17.08.2012
SOURCE: DUNYA.COM