EGYPT: Turkish Prime Minister Mr Abdullah Gul visited Egypt yesterday on the second leg of a regional "tour for peace".
"We all have to work hard to avoid war," said Mr Gul after discussions with Egyptian President Mr Hosni Mubarak, another outspoken opponent of a US attack on Iraq.
"We don't want to see Iraq divided," Mr Gul asserted, voicing the concern of all Middle Eastern rulers that Iraq could be fragmented into warring entities as a result of a conflict. He also held talks with Egypt's Prime Minister Mr Atef Ebeid and Arab League Secretary General Mr Amr Moussa.
On Saturday, Mr Gul was in Damascus for a meeting with Syrian President Dr Bashar Assad who observed that the immediate priority "is that arms inspectors complete their search" of Iraq for any banned weapons of mass destruction. The two agreed on the "need for all parties to work seriously and persistently to spare Iraq . . . because such a war could open a Pandora's box of evils."
Following their discussion, Mr Gul said: "We still believe that this problem can be solved without war . . . Turkey and Syria agreed to co-ordinate efforts to bring a peaceful solution to the problem."
Mr Gul is due in Jordan today and could fly from there to Iran. On January 11th, he is set to visit Saudi Arabia. His government has, so far, refused to commit Turkey's military bases and forces to a US war which 70-80 per cent of Turks oppose.
