Brussels, 25/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - Turkey has "long experience with Afghanistan", and "probably being the only NATO member country to have access to both parties" of the country, it has a special "know-how", declared Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, addressing the press in Brussels on Thursday on the occasion of a Conference on Stability in the Caucasus, organised by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation" (Tesev). "Like all NATO countries, Turkey strongly supports the (anti-terrorist) coalition and provides assistance to it", he added. Still with the idea of strengthening ties between the East and the West, Ismail Cem recalled in his speech that he had proposed organising a conference with the European Union and the OSCE to respond to "certain media tendencies of assimilating terrorism with religion" (see EUROPE of 22/23 October, p.5). This initiative has the backing of the Secretary General of the Islamic Council, the minister pointed out, who also levelled his anger against the tendency in Muslim countries "to see an opposition between the United States and the Muslim world", feeling that, according to him, is no more founded than assimilating Islam with terrorism. Mr. Cem called on Afghanistan's neighbouring countries not to engage in a game of influence in that country, and denounced those countries that "already have plans for the aftermath, for placing their friends in key-positions".
Ismail Cem warned that "without stability in the Caucasus, it is difficult to have stability in Europe". He considered that the conflict in the Caucasus, between Russia and Georgia, notably, "have become worse since 11 September", due to a feeling that is spreading that "the time has come to settle scores". He also said that they had not to wait for all conflicts in the region to cease before signing a Security Pact. It would, he said, be to repeat "the mistake" made in the Middle East.