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Maliki urges Turkey to end cross-border raids
[Iran Press TV Latest] Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has called on Ankara to respect Iraq's sovereignty by ending military operations across Iraq's northern border to target PKK terrorists. During a meeting in Baghdad with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, Maliki reiterated that Baghdad will not allow any forces to trespass Iraqi borders. Erdogan, accompanied by nine ministers, flew to Baghdad on Thursday to sign a total of 44 agreements, from energy co-operation to water sharing and fighting Kurdish militants holed up in northern Iraq. Relations between Ankara and Baghdad have been strained in the past by the presence of insurgents affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkish fighter jets frequently pound PKK strongholds in northern Iraq from where the Kurdish insurgents launch attacks against Turkish soil. Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community, including Turkey, Iran, the US and the European Union member states. More than 40,000 people have lost their lives since the militant group launched its armed campaign against Ankara in 1984, as part of a quest to establish an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey. Posted by: Fred 2009-10-16 |
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