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Talks with Iraqi Kurds related to anti-terrorism: Turkish FM
6/5/2008 16:23

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said yesterday that dialogue with the Iraqi government and the regional administration in northern Iraq would be closely related to their concrete action against the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
Babacan made such remarks in a joint press conference after a tete-a-tete meeting with the visiting United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdallah bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan.
"Turkey would continue to hold dialogue with both Iraqi government and the regional administration in the north of Iraq," said Babacan, adding that the level and the frequency of dialogue would depend on concrete action of the Iraqi Kurds against the PKK.
Ankara has been pressing for the Iraqi Kurds' support in their action against the PKK, whose militants use bases in the northern Iraq to launch attacks across the border.
Mentioning a meeting between Turkish officials and regional administration in northern Iraq held last week in Baghdad, Babacan said that the talks were quite positive and fruitful, adding that Turkish officials made it clear to all parties in Iraq that Turkey wants peace and stability in the region.
"Closer dialogue will continue with both the central government of Iraq and the regional administration in the north of Iraq on fight against the PKK, energy and trade issues in the future," Babacan noted.
Last week, a Turkish delegation, led by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Chief Adviser Ahmet Davutoglu, met with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki and the Prime Minister of the Kurdish administration in north of Iraq Necirvan Barzani.
The PKK, listed by the United States and Turkey as a terrorist group, took up arms against Turkey in 1984 with the aim of creating an ethnic homeland in the southeast. More than 30,000 people have been killed in the over-two-decade conflict.



Xinhua