Turkey PM accuses Baghdad of dragging Iraq to civil war

ANKARA - Agence France-Presse

Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. AA photo

Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused the Iraqi government on Wednesday of trying to drag the country into civil war, amid rising tensions between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdish forces.
 
"The (Baghdad) regime wants to lead this (country) into a civil war," Erdoğan told reporters in Ankara before he left for Pakistan.
 
His comments came after Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki issued a warning to Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) forces in  not to advance towards government troop positions following deadly clashes the area last week.
 
Relations between Baghdad and KRG have been fraught since the establishment of a new military command covering disputed territory, and over various other long-running disputes including how to share the region's oil wealth.
 
Iraq and Turkey have been at odds over several issues, including the Syrian conflict, the Turkish military presence in Iraq to pursue Kurdish militants, and the oil dispute.
 
Also angering Iraq has been Turkey's refusal to extradite fugitive Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who has been handed four death sentences by a Baghdad court on charges of running a death squad.
 
The Baghdad-KRG oil dispute has an impact on Turkey as it has a pipeline handling Kurdish oil and is also a major customer.
 
Earlier this month, Iraq blocked Turkish national energy firm TPAO from bidding for an oil exploration contract, a decision Erdoğan said was not "smart business," and accused Baghdad of acting "childishly".