"…war should stay in Iraq and not spread to another country or region," Gul

Additional Reporting By Sa'ad Abdul Majid, IOL Turkey Correspondent

ANKARA, April 15 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Tuesday, April 15, that he has no evidence that Syria is a "rogue state", while his visiting Israeli counterpart warned  Damascus to stop giving hospitality to “terrorist” organizations.

"So far we don't have any evidence, but maybe the Americans they have, we will see of course," he said after a meeting in Luxembourg, when asked whether he agreed with the U.S. assessment that Syria is a rogue state.

"But .. the region needs stability now. It's time to set the orders, rules, in Iraq and other countries in the region. They should act wisely of course. they should not give any pretext," he said.

"All of us in the region should act wisely," he added.

Washington threatened Damascus with diplomatic and economic sanctions, warning it to turn away fleeing supporters of Saddam Hussein, shun weapons of mass destruction, and sever ties to terrorism, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Gul told a press conference along with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Monday that Ankara did not want to see the conflict in Iraq spilled  into the region.

"An issue everyone should give importance to is that the war should stay in Iraq and not spread to another country or region," he said.

"The region has grown tired. We need peace and stability at one," he added, echoing fears that Syria might be the next on the U.S. "hit list".

Gul, pressed about the U.S. warnings to Syria, said weapons of mass destruction should be eliminated in the region.

"We are not aware that they exist there now," he said.

"We had problems in the past, but now the relation is good," he said of Turkey's relations with Syria, adding that his country wants good relations with all the neighboring countries.

"Weapons of mass destruction .. should be eliminated in the region, because the region has been suffering enough because of instability,"

"Now it's time to have stability, peace and cooperation in the region," he added.

After the fall of the Iraqi capital last week, Gul said he cancelled a visit to Syria scheduled on the same day of his talks with the Turkish official. 

Syria categorically denied the allegations, saying they are only meant to cover for the general state of chaos and anarchy the Iraqi areas plunged into after the U.S. forces claimed control of the country.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also slammed the U.S.-led war against Iraq as an effort for "clear occupation and aggression against a United Nations member state".

Turkey allowed the U.S. aircraft to fly into Iraq through its airspace and agreed to give logistical support for the invading forces during a meeting between Gul and Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday, April 2. 

Missiles "Doubled"

On his part, the visiting Israeli minister accused Syria of continuing to support “terrorist” organizations, warning Damascus that it was time to end such backing.

"Syria, as you know, is giving a warm hospitality to many terror organizations...We know very well what a major role Syria is taking in letting those terror organizations increase their activities," Shalom told the joint press conference.

He charged that Damascus airport was serving as a main hub for Iran to send shipments of arms to Islamic group Hezbollah based in southern Lebanon.

"Unfortunately, since we withdrew from Lebanon two and a half years ago, we have seen that Hezbollah doubled their missiles," he said.

The Israeli troops were forced to carry out a messy pullout from South Lebanon in 2000 after 18 years of occupation. But they still occupy Shebaa farms there along with Syria's Golan Heights which seized in the 1967 Mideast war.

Syria accused the United States and Israel of a "concerted campaign" against it, saying that Israel is the only country in the region that has weapons of mass destruction. But Shalom brushed aside the Syrian allegation as "propaganda".

Shalom arrived in the Turkish capital on Sunday on his first official visit since the Justice and Development Party was elected last November.

Turkish observers said that the visiting Israeli minister wants to gauge the reaction here to a U.S.-Israeli draft meant to pressure the Syrian government to sign a peace deal with Israel and the role Turkey could play to this effect.