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Iraq urges Turkey to solve border crisis through diplomacy
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Source: CCTV.com | 10-17-2007 14:06
Special Report: Iraq in Transition |
Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi arrived in Ankara yesterday in a hastily arranged visit after the Turkish government asked Parliament to authorize a military incursion into northern Iraq.(AP photo)
Iraq is calling for diplomacy to solve its border crisis with Turkey. Iraqi Vice President,Tareq Al-Hashemi is urging Turkey not to stage a cross-border offensive to fight separatist Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. His appeal came after Turkey's announcement that it would strike the Kurdish rebels when necessary.
Iraq's Vice President, Tareq al-Hashemi, is in Turkey to defuse recent cross-border tensions. He held separate meetings with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday. Al-Hashemi says Iraq can deal with the issue.
Tareq al-Hashemi said, "The Republic of Iraq has already decided that the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK, 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 appeal came as Erdogan said Turkey would strike the rebels when the timing and conditions are right.
