Gul: Civil war is merciless

Speaking at a press conference for the accompanying Turkish journalists in New York where he would attend the 68thmeeting of the UN General Assembly on September 24 and October 4, President Abdullah Gul touched upon a number of hot topics regarding the region. Noting that the Muslim world is experiencing now what Europe has experienced during the Middle Ages, Gul said, "A Sunni leader will become a dictator and you will stay silent. You will fight with a Shiite that knows what justice is. These are all indications of primitiveness and a big trap. There is a big responsibility that falls to leaders to avoid the emergence of an atmosphere of disunity. When such an atmosphere arises, soon polarization and divisions emerge." Underlining that Turkey has a fragile position in terms of Syria crisis, Gul said, "Other countries can only feel the pain in and be sorry for Syria, but the reflections of ongoing incidents in Syria will directly impact Turkey in various areas. I will voice all of these issues in my address to the General Assembly." The president also noted that Turkey's visibility has increased at the UN thanks to the role it has played both in Syria and Egypt crises, adding, "Previously, Turkey was only concerned with issues that were directly related to it. Today, Turkey has become a country that talks about various issues. It is a leading country in dealing even with issues that do not concern it directly." Gul, who is to be the third world leader to address the UN General Assembly after his Brazilian and US counterparts, would reportedly engage in bilateral talks with his French and Iranian counterparts mainly over the Syria issue.