Gül meets muftis of Western Thrace and Turkmen leader (ANKARA - Turkish Daily News)

President Abdullah Gül met with İbrahim Şerif and Ahmet Mete, the muftis of Komotini (Gümülcine) and Xanthi (İskeçe) respectively, two regions in Western Thrace that are heavily populated by Turks in Greece and as well as the leader of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, Dr. Saadettin Ergeç, separately in Ankara yesterday.

“We congratulated the president for his previous efforts as foreign minister to address the problems of Turkmen's in northern Iraq,” said Ergeç after the meeting. “The referendum in Kirkuk will not be realized before normalization of the situation and before a census is held, both of which did not take place,” said Ergeç. A referendum to determine whether the oil-rich city of Kirkuk will join the Kurdish region in northern Iraq was postponed as a result of Turkish pressure and failure of the constitutional clause of “normalization” to materialize.

Ergeç said he informed Gül on developments in Iraq and in Kirkuk. “Iraq's unity is what we demanded from the president. It is Turkmens who have been defending the territorial integrity of Iraq since 2003,” he said. Other political movements are trying to align with the Turkmen Front, according to Ergeç. “Despite our small numbers in the past, the number of those united for the indivisibility of Iraq is growing,” he said.

A statement issued by the president's office said that Gül saw Turks of Western Thrace as a bridge between Turkey and Greece and that he deemed it necessary that they enjoy minority rights. Şerif and Mete also expressed their gratitude to Gül for his support for the Turkish minority of Western Thrace in the past.
In a separate statement by the president's office, it was announced that President Gül will welcome more visitors from the countries of the Middle East. The statement said the leaders of Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan will pay visits to Gül to congratulate him on his election as president.