(www.cihannews.com) - Gen. Joseph Ralston, the US special envoy for countering terrorism, said that considerable progress were made in the talks to end the existence of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.
Ralston, who arrived in Ankara on Wednesday to hold talks on the fight against terrorism with Turkish officials, met Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul along with his Turkish counterpart retired Gen. Edip Baser, reports Trend.
"We have focused on our efforts in the fight against the outlawed organization", Ralston told reporters following the meeting held in the Foreign Ministry office.
Saying that he wanted the Turkish public opinion to be patient, Ralston said that PKK members were removed out of Makhmour camping area in northern Iraq.
The US special envoy visited the UN controlled camp a day before his visit to Turkish capital Ankara.
Baser, for his part, said that they had made positive progress on the issue, which they cannot reveal for the time being for security purposes. Baser added that Turkey did not rule out a unilateral cross-border military offensive to crack down the PKK, based in northern Iraq.
US envoy Ralston will meet Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit in Ankara as part of his visit to Turkey before he leaves Ankara.