STRAINS WITH AMERICA

Members of your party accused the U.S. of genocide after Fallujah. You reportedly kept the U.S. ambassador waiting six weeks for an appointment.

I stated that this classification was incorrect--that it would be incorrect to classify what happened in Fallujah as genocide. As for the ambassador, there was a lack of communication between different institutions. Sometimes the U.S. ambassador calls, and I take his call the same day.

There was a close relationship between Israel and Turkey, but last year you began to accuse Israel of "state terrorism" after the assassination of Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin. How are relations today?

The relations between Turkey and Israel continue as they were in the past. Our trade volume with Israel has increased. In Turkey we say, "Friends tell the truth even though it can be painful." You should know how sensitive I am against anti-Semitism. I have said many times that anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity. Recently I sent my foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, to Israel as a sign of good will.

MOHAMED ELBARADEI

Before the war in Iraq, you said Iraq had no nuclear weapons. Is this what the administration has against you?