Gul: Political determination is needed for Syrian crisis

Commenting on the solution of the Syrian crisis yesterday at a press conference, Turkish President Abdullah Gul made important statements concerning a number of issues. "While, on the one hand, serious and determined efforts should be carried out to ultimately cleanse Syria of chemical weapons; there is, on the other hand, a need for strong political determination for resolving the larger problem in Syria," President Gul told reporters. Mentioning also the important role of the US and Russia regarding the destruction 1,000-ton stockpile of chemical weapons that Syria currently possesses, "It will be Turkey who will be happiest at the removal of these weapons from Syria. That's why this deal should be supported and we are in fact supporting it," Gul said. President Gul also called UN Security Council to listen to Turkey as a neighboring country who has been most affected by the civil war in Syria and recalled that Turkey was not a member of the UN Security Council. President Gul will represent Turkey at the U.N. General Assembly next week where he will address member countries and hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from various countries.