Iraq seeks talks on Turkey threat

Baghdad has called for "urgent negotiations" over Turkey's threat to carry out cross-border raids against Kurdish rebels.Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki held an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss the crisis."The Iraqi government calls on the Turkish government to hold urgent talks," said Mr Maliki's spokesman.But Turkey has said its patience has run out over the handling of Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq.Turkey is seeking parliamentary permission for a cross-border operation to hunt down Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) members.Ankara argues the group is a terrorist organisation responsible for the deaths of at least 15 Turkish soldiers in the past two weeks, and says the Kurdish separatists enjoy freedom of movement in northern Iraq.Iraqi Vice-President Tareq Hashemi has arrived in Ankara in an attempt to dissuade Turkey from staging a cross-border offensive.The Sunni vice president was expected to discuss "all aspects of bilateral ties" with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul, a Turkish diplomat told AFP.
'Multiple operations'
Turkey hopes it will not be forced to resort to military action, even if its motion gained approval in parliament, Mr Erdogan said on Tuesday."I sincerely wish that this motion will never be applied," he said in televised comments."Passage of this motion does not mean an immediate incursion will follow." Mr Erdogan's AK Party, which has a parliamentary majority, is expected to vote in favour of the motion on Wednesday. If passed, the vote will authorise cross-border operations for one year with the government deciding on the timing, scope and frequency of any incursions.Mr Erdogan called on Iraq's government and the regional administration in the country's north to crack down on the rebels, saying they should "build a thick wall between themselves and terrorist organisations".He added that any military operation would respect Iraq's territorial integrity and only target the rebels.Jamal Abdallah, a spokesman for the government of Iraqi Kurdistan, told the BBC there was no co-operation with the PKK."We have not helped the PKK and we are not helping it," he said. "Their bases are not under the control of the Kurdistan regional authorities."Iraq signed a counter-terrorism pact with Turkey last month, but opposes any military incursion into its territory.The US has also warned Ankara against ordering any incursions into Iraq.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7046765.stm

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