Iraq VP visits Turkey to defuse cross-border incursion

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Source: CCTV.com | 10-17-2007 09:22

Vice president of Iraq, Tariq al-Hashemi(File photo)

Iraq's vice president is asking Turkey not to stage a cross-border offensive to pursue the Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq. He's calling for diplomacy to solve the problem.

Tariq al-Hashemi is in Turkey to try to defuse the incursion crisis. He says Iraq can deal with the issue.

Al-Hashemi,Iraq VP said, "The Republic of Iraq has already decided that the Kurdistan Worker's Party is a terrorist group, which illegally exists on Iraqi territory, conducting cross-border terrorist acts in contravention with the provisions of the Iraqi constitution. The Iraqi Government is aware of its responsibility and its intention to stop such acts."

Al-Hashemi's visit comes as Turkey's cabinet asks parliament for permission to pursue rebels from the Kurdish Workers Party.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says he is dispatching a "high-level" political and security team to Turkey to try to defuse tensions on the Iraqi-Turkish border.

His office says the decision was made after al-Maliki met with senior aides to discuss the crisis.