Gul: "We will never ever let outlawed groups keep their weapons"

Turkey will never let outlawed groups keep their weapons, and if the terrorist PKK understands this, it is a good development, President Abdullah Gul said yesterday. Speaking to reporters in Istanbul after returning from UN General Assembly meetings in New York, Gul made the remarks when asked about reports of the terrorist PKK leaving Turkish territory to continue its so-called ceasefire. On his contacts in US, Gul said, "I had 21 meetings as part of the UN General Assembly. I had the opportunity to explain our country's approaches in the international area and regarding the regional issues. I believe it was extremely useful that our meetings coincided with our term as president of the UN Security Council in terms of raising the international profile of our foreign policy priorities." Turkey holds a temporary Security Council seat through year's-end, and its September turn as council head concludes on Thursday.