Speaking in an interview with television station NTV, Gul said that at present there were no preparations being made in parliament for a vote to give approval to send troops into northern Iraq to strike at the terrorist group the PKK, which has bases in the region, nor had the Turkish military requested that permission be granted for a cross border operation.
“There has not been any request from the Turkish Armed Forces,” Gul said.
“Both the parliament and the government will extend support to all kinds of operation and/or mission that will successfully end the fight against terrorism.”
As separatist terrorism was the most serious threat facing Turkey, the fight to combat terrorism was the state’s highest priority, said Gul.
“The Turkish Armed Forces, the police, the intelligence units and the gendarmerie have been on alert for a long time,” he said. “The ongoing turmoil in Iraq has made the fight against terror more difficult. We all know where those explosives used in the attacks come from. The explosives which were handed over by European countries to the Saddam regime in Iraq in the past are in the hands of the terrorist organization PKK, now.”
