US, Iraq, Turkey hold talks on PKK

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

As the Iraqi government approved a deal that sets a deadline for US withdrawal from Iraq, diplomatic traffic between Baghdad and Ankara has sped up.

U.S., Iraqi and Turkish officials yesterday agreed to form a joint committee to combat the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, PKK, after holding three-way talks in Baghdad, as part of efforts to boost cooperation against Kurdish terrorists who use Iraq as a base for attacks on Turkey, AFP reported.

The committee will "track the threat represented by the PKK to the security and the stability of Turkey and Iraq," Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement. It will also "enact forceful measures to stop all activities undertaken by this organisation inside Iraqi territory or in any region adjacent to the Turkish-Iraqi border," Dabbagh said.

The announcement followed a meeting to discuss the plan between U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, visiting Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Al-Maliki on the other hand is sending a delegation to Turkey. The delegation led by Akram al-Hakim, the state minister for reconciliation affairs, is expected to arrive in Ankara today to brief Turkish officials on the pact, private NTV television reported.

Turkey has stepped up cross-border air strikes and the shelling of northern Iraq since the PKK, killed 17 Turkish soldiers in an ambush in southeastern Turkey last month.

Special envoy to carry out talks in Baghdad
Turkey accuses Iraq of failing to rein in the fighters and the issue has strained relations between the neighboring countries.

Washington and Baghdad both consider the PKK a terrorist group and say Turkey has a right to take limited cross-border action against the fighters. But they fear a large-scale Turkish military response could destabilize northern Iraq.

Last month Turkey's parliament extended by one year the government's mandate to strike the PKK in northern Iraq, where Turkish officials estimate about 2,000 fighters are hiding out in the mountains.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, visited Turkey last month to discuss efforts to fight the PKK. Turkish officials also visited Baghdad to discuss the issue in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Murat Özçelik, Turkey's special envoy to Iraq, who also attended the meeting, will stay in Baghdad to hold talks with the central government and officials from the northern Iraqi administration.