‘Soft Power’ Key To Solving Conflicts

By Jamila Qadir
(Senior staff reporter)
28 March 2008
Courtesy Of: KhaleejTimes

ANKARA — The UN needs to make use of its Security Council and bring into effect new policies, especially use of the concept of soft power and tools attached to it, to resolve conflicts, said Turkish President Abdullah Gul in an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times recently.

Differences between religions and cultures should not be to be accentuated, and efforts to iron out these differences should be supported.

‘Soft power’ is being debated across the world and even within the US. Other alternatives must be considered before resorting to unilateral actions and exercising the military option, he said.

On Kurdish rebels, Gul said:

“I do not agree that the world does not condemn the terrorism which Turkey is fighting, but I can say that the world does not cooperate enough with us.”

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul speaks to KT