Letter to the Chairman of the Committee
from Sir Peter Westmacott KCMG LVO, British Ambassador to Ankara,
16 January 2004
I hope you will forgive me for not replying
before now to your very kind letter of 27 November about the terrible
attack on our Consulate General in Istanbul. I am afraid our system
failed to prioritise all the letters of support and sympathy which
arrived while I was in Istanbul trying to pick up the pieces.
The attack has had a terrible impact on the
families of those who lost their lives, and on their friends and
colleagues. Messages of support and sympathy from friends around
the world have made a big difference to us all—especially
to those who lost loved ones. We were particularly touched by
the strong messages of solidarity, not only for the victims of
the attacks on 20 November but also for the Turkish people as
a whole, expressed in both Houses of Parliament in the days following
the attack. I have of course passed on your kind message of sympathy
from members of the Committee.
As I have tried to say in my own public statements,
and as our own Ministers have underlined, these attacks will not
sow division between the UK and Turkey. On the contrary, they
have brought our two peoples closer together. They have also,
in my view, reinforced the case for the European Union opening
accession negotiations with Turkey as soon as possible.
It will take time before we are able to resume
normal service. One of the biggest problems is that the main Consulate
General building, Pera House, will not be habitable again for
several months. But rest assured that we have received the strongest
possible support from the FCO in London. We are moving ahead as
fast as we can with the repair and rehabilitation of the compound,
so that we can again provide a secure working environment for
our staff, and a presence appropriate to what we are trying to
achieve in this very important country, in what is now the largest
city in Europe. This includes giving top priority to getting a
full entry clearance service up and running as soon as possible.
Thank you, again, for your kind and very welcome
message of support.
Sir Peter Westmacott KCMG LVO
British Ambassador to Ankara
16 January 2004
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