Citing the primary reason behind Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorism as the political “vacuum” in northern Iraq, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said, “We are determined to fight terrorism.”

Gul, who met with French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy in Paris Wednesday, said Turkey would not hesitate to wield its authority permitted by international law in the fight against terror.

Foreign Minister Gul noted: “Fighting terror is not the job of a single country. Today it’s our problem, but tomorrow it’s another [country’s problem].” Gul asserted the PKK presence in Turkey stemmed from a vacuum in northern Iraq where the organization is free to regroup and operate.

French Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy, who touched on Turkey’s E.U. membership bid, said that France wanted Turkey to continue introducing political reforms. He also noted they closely followed the country’s membership process.

French President Jacques Chirac, who received Gul Wednesday, reportedly said Turkey’s decision over troop deployment to Lebanon indicated that Turkey belonged to Europe.

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