Turkey feels uneasy on Talabani’s Kirkuk visit statement-report
Hurriyet
Ankara did not welcome the statement of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani that he and Turkish President Abdullah Gul would travel to Kirkuk, Milliyet daily reported citing presidential office sources.
Talabani’s declaration was interpreted as efforts by the Iraqi party to include Kirkuk in Gul’s planned Baghdad visit, the report said.
According to reports on Friday, Talabani was reported as saying he and Gul were planning to visit Kirkuk together on Dec.20.
Turkish Presidential sources had earlier confirmed that a visit to Iraq was on the agenda, adding there was no clear date. However sources did not mention a possible visit to Kirkuk during Gul’s planned trip.
The announced visit may be postponed if Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who currently has an ear infection, is not cleared by doctors to fly, the newspaper also said.
The proposed visit is seen as the part of recent efforts to boost bilateral ties between Turkey and Iraq. Turkey has intensified direct contacts with both the Iraqi central government and the regional Kurdish administration in northern Iraq to discuss possible measures that can be taken in the fight against the terror organization PKK.
Source: arama.hurriyet.com.tr/arsivnews.aspx?id=10561068