Azerbaijan, Baku, 8 March / corr. Trend R.Hafizoglu / The meeting between the President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, and President of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, in Ankara is assessed as the beginning of the joint fighting against PKK and other groups of terrorism in both countries. "Jalal Talabani's visit to Ankara is the base of the fighting against not only PKK, but also other groups of terrorism," Iraqi MP Fozvi Akramoglu, reported to Trend .
Al-Jazair TV reported on 8 March that during his meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara, President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, highly assessed the withdrawal of the Turkish troops from the north of Iraq and advised the PKK terrorists to give themselves up or leave the north of Iraq. Talabani said that hereinafter, the Iraqi Government will not allow PKK terrorists to use the north of Iraq against Turkey.
According to the Iraqi MP, Talabani's statement will limit the activities of the PKK terrorists. "The situation of the PKK terrorists will worsen after this statement," Akramoglu reported by telephone from Kirkuk on 8 March.
He considers that Talabani's statement against PKK terrorists shows that the Iraqi Government is prepared to fight against terrorism. "Talabani's visit to Turkey is the beginning of the joint fighting against terrorism," the MP said.
The Turkish politician Shanli Bahadir considers that the issue that the Iraqi President accepted Gul's invitation and arrived in Ankara is a positive step. "Although the Iraqi President's statement is symbolic, it is the most serious step taken up to now," Bahadir reported to Trend by telephone from Istanbul on 8 March.
According to him, it would be better if Talabani's visit to Turkey would take place before the military operations in the north of Iraq. "The issue that Talabani's visit took place now weakened the military operations in the north of Iraq," he said.
According to the politician, in addition to the military operations in the north of Iraq, Turkey could apply economic embargos. "The north of Iraq fully depends on Turkey economically," Bahadir said. He considers that not Turkey, but Iraq needs the held negotiations. In the last week of February, Turkey carried out large-scale military operations against the PKK terrorists in the north of Iraq. The Prime Minister of Turkey, Rajab Teyyub Erdogan, said that his Country intends not occupy the north of Iraq, but continue the fighting until gaining victory over the PKK terrorists. However, in its official statement, the Iraqi Government highlighted that the Turkish military operations in the north of Iraq present threats to Iraq's independence and required prompt withdrawal of the Turkish troops from the territory of Iraq.
President of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, invited his Iraqi counterpart to Ankara to discuss the Turkish military operations in the north of Iraq.