WASHINGTON
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said on the “peace process” that the large crowds gathered in Diyarbakir last weekend showed people’s commitment to their government and the solution process in an interview on Turkish state broadcaster TRT in Washington.
Arinc said Turkey has now entered this (solution)process and they want all arms to be silenced in Turkey.
Praising Kurdish singer Siwan Perver who attended the ceremonies held in Diyarbakir last week together with Masoud Barzani, president of Kurdish administration in northern Iraq, Arinc said Perver has a great respectability among Kurdish citizens and he was very happy because Perver came back to Turkey and gave his support to the solution process.
Upon a question Arinc criticized Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) for their statements on the solution process and the support from Barzani and said it would be very good if BDP gave support to the solution process, or otherwise people would overcome them.
Arinc went on to talk about the efforts on a new constitution and criticized other political parties in Turkish parliament for failing those efforts for the past two years but added, they will be in a better situation after the general elections to make the new constitution.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc also called to mind that today was the 50th anniversary of the assassination of president John F. Kennedy and said he visited the JFK section of Newseum in Washington. Praising the Newseum exhibitions, Arinc recommended everyone to visit this museum.
Arinc said he visited the former US president Thomas Jefferson memorial too and his sayings were very important.
“He is a person with a great faith. There are parts from his speech at the memorial. His paragraphs start with the phrase “Almighty God” and this is an indicator of freedom of religion and conscious and also the affectionate approach to differences”, Arinc added on Jefferson.
Regarding his meeting with US Vice President Joe Biden, Turkish Deputy PM stated that Turkey and the USA are not in a clash but in almost full agreement in issues such as Syria, Iraq or other matters.
He said they took up the issue that the US could not fully meet Turkey’s expectations on the Syria issue and added the Vice President will make a statement on this, without elaborating on the issue.
“We also told him (Biden) that we had deep sorrow over what has happened in Syria and we want this civil war to end in the shortest time possible” Deputy Prime Minister Arinc said.
Arinc also stated that Turkey and the USA were in agreement that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s political power was weakened and he must leave the administration.
Arinc also told Biden Turkey expects the USA to be more diligent in the preparation of Geneva II conference and destruction of Syria’s chemical weapon inventory, which Biden agreed on.
“We told (Biden) that various ethnic and religious groups in Syria should continue living together, as they have done until today […] and there should be such a constitution and a parliament so that everybody could express themselves and a government that could hold all together should prevail”, Arinc added.
Iraq and Cyprus issues were also taken up during the Arinc-Biden meeting.
Biden stated that they find relations between Turkey and the administration in Northern Iraq positive, Arinc also told the TRT television.
Arinc also said that Biden told him they have full confidence in Turkey’s government and he told Biden that the relations between the two countries should increase as there is greater potential in trade.
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