Visiting Iraqi Vice President Tariq Al-Hashimi said in Ankara on
Tuesday that Iraqi administration is ready to cooperate with Turkey
in its fight against the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).
Al-Hashimi made the remarks at his meeting with Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish capital of Ankara,
during which they discussed over the issue of PKK terrorist
organization.
For his part, Erdogan said that Turkey respects Iraq's political
unity and territorial integrity, adding that Turkey is also
determined to take every type of measure against terrorist
organization.
Stressing the importance of fighting against terrorism, Erdogan
said that it is Turkey's legitimate right to restore national
security as well as safety of its citizens.
Erdogan also strongly stressed Turkey's expectation from the US
and Iraqi administration to take concrete steps to end activities
of PKK in Iraq.
Al-Hashimi arrived in Ankara earlier on Tuesday for a working
visit after the Turkish government submitted a motion for a
cross-border operation against the PKK in Iraq to the Turkish
parliament later on Monday.
Turkish government spokesman and Deputy Prime Minister Cemil
Cicek said Monday that the motion was only targeted at the PKK and
it would be valid for one year.
Last Friday, Erdogan said that Turkey has long been seeking the
cooperation with Iraq and the US in its fight against the PKK, but
there has been no tangible crackdown on the rebels.
The PKK has increased its attacks on government troops in
southeastern Turkey, which led to rising Turkish demands for an
incursion into northern Iraq to crush the rebels based there.
The group, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US
and the EU, launched an armed campaign for an ethnic homeland in
the mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking decades of
strife that has claimed more than 30,000 lives.
(Xinhua News Agency October 17, 2007)
