ANKARA
Abdullah Gul attended a reception in the parliament hosted by Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek on the occasion of the April 23rd National Sovereignty and Children's Day.
Replying to a question on remarks by Iraqi prime minister, President Gul said that Turkey only wanted tranquility in its region and attached great importance to stability there.
Turkey contributed much to stability and democracy in Iraq, he said. Gul said that Turkey never had a secret agenda and never made sectarian discrimination.
"Turkey has equal distance to all people in Iraq," he said.
Answering a question on a visit by Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) executives to the United States, Gul said that political parties could pay such visits to explain themselves, stating that such visits should not be considered illegal.
