Gül: Syrian crisis isn't solely about solving the chemical weapons issue

Turkish President Abdullah Gül said that forcing the Syrian regime to hand over its chemical weapons is a significant and good step, but warned that resolution of Syrian crisis is not only about the chemical weapons issue.

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“We already knew that there was a considerable amount of chemical weapons in one of our neighbouring countries. So cleansing Syria of chemical weapons is a significant development. One should be grateful for this. But this should not become a tactic; it should be a real cleansing. The second dimension to this is that the issue is not solely about chemical weapons,” Gül told reporters following the opening of the International Financial Systems Forum in Istanbul, at which he gave a speech.

Gül added that the ongoing war in Syria has resulted in the killing of more than 100,000 people and the destruction of a nation, and he called on the United States to look at the Syrian tragedy from that perspective.

Regarding Istanbul’s failed Olympic bid, Gül said, “We are very sad that Istanbul was not chosen for hosting the 2020 Olympics, but we are very confident that everyone played their part for the sake of winning the honour of hosting the Olympics, and we must not forget that Istanbul was a strong competitor to Tokyo, as Turkey and Istanbul were well presented, which will reflect on all.”

Gül also stressed that “the Turkish economy is in a good condition and it is about to see great improvement in the future, and the upcoming elections should not worry anyone.” He spoke about the global financial crisis that took its toll on the US and Europe.