ANKARA, Turkey, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned there could be a sectarian and ethnic war in Iraq following the announcement of Sunday's poll results.
Ankara's daily Sabah Wednesday quoted Erdogan as underlining the importance of safeguarding Iraq's unity and warning, "The outcome of the elections might lead to an ethnically unbalanced political scene in Iraq."
He also cautioned that a sectarian and ethnic war in Iraq would have a detrimental impact on the Middle East.
"Turkey has historic ties with the Middle East region and will not allow that it is dragged into a conflict which would last for long years," he said.
"We were worried about certain matters that happened during the electoral process," he said, without elaborating.
Erdogan reiterated his country's support for Iraq's unity and territorial integrity, stressing that "Iraq's resources should be for all Iraqis and no single ethnic or religious group should be allowed to monopolize them."
