President Abdullah Gül :"A Turkish secretary- general of NATO? Why not?".

President Abdullah Gül :"A Turkish secretary- general of NATO? Why not?".(TZ).President Abdullah Gül said Turks could undertake more important posts in NATO, given that the Turkish army is the second-biggest army within the alliance after the US. “Consultations with the Turkish Foreign Ministry on the eve of critical decisions, Turkish generals assuming key posts within NATO -- these have become routine developments lately,” he said at a news conference in Chicago after attending a NATO summit. “So, of course it [a Turkish secretary-general for NATO] is possible. Why not? Turkey could undertake more important responsibilities within NATO, including assuming the post of secretary-general.” Gül, however, said there have been no talks on a Turkish official becoming a candidate for the top NATO post.Gül also revealed that he had told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Turkey might seek alternatives to reunification of the divided Cyprus if the current stalemate in UN-backed efforts to reunite the Turkish and Greek sides of the island persists. Gül said he has asked the UN secretary-general to assume a more active role. “I said this openly as well: ‘If this policy is bound not to work, you should be prepared [for the possibility] that we, through negotiations, put into action other alternatives’,” Gül said, without elaborating. Gül said the issue of relations with Israel came up during the meeting with Obama. “If someone tells us to fix our relations with Israel, we interrupt, even if this is US President Obama. We tell them to tell Israel to fix its relations with us,” he told the press conference. He said the recent establishment of a new government in Israel, supported by a record-high number of Israeli lawmakers, is a positive development because the Israeli government will at least not be able to present internal political rifts as an excuse for not taking certain foreign policy measures. “We prefer strong governments everywhere in the world,” he said.Hmmmm......Israel and Cyprus be forewarned.Read the full story here.