Iraq FM says less threat of Turkish incursion into northern Iraq
(20 Nov 2007) SHOTLIST 1. Arrival Ali Babacan, Turkish foreign minister, at the EU Council, walks past camera 2. Arrival Hoshyar Zebari, Iraqi foreign minister, at the EU Council, walks towards camera 3. Cutaway camera 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Hoshyar Zebari, Iraqi foreign minister: "Well I think the danger is still there, to be honest with you, the threat is still there, but we believe the chances of major invasions are less now. But we are working very closely with the Turkish government to find a reasonable solution for both countries." (Question: Have you received any assurances from Ankara that they will not make any major incursions?) "Well, we are in contact, we are in touch. The dialogue is ongoing and I hope there wouldn't be any full-scale incursion because that would be destabilising and would have serious consequences on the entire region." 5. Cutaway cameraman STORYLINE Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan was in Brussels on Tuesday for talks with EU foreign ministers. His visit coincided with a separate meeting between EU officials and Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari. Ahead of his meeting with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Zebari said the threat of a major Turkish military incursion into northern Iraq was less likely due to increased cooperation between Ankara and Baghdad to curb Kurdish rebel attacks against Turkish forces. "The threat is still there but we believe the chances of a major invasion are less now," the minister told reporters. Zebari said the Iraqi government had been working "very closely" with the Turkish government to secure the border against attacks in Turkey by Iraq-based fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. He reiterated Iraqi concerns that a mass movement of Turkish armed forces into northern Iraq "would have serious consequences for the region". Iraqi officials on Saturday asked Ankara for more time to implement several measures, including increased checkpoints, to choke off supplies to the PKK. Tension, however, remains high in Turkey over the rebels who seek an autonomous homeland in the country's southeast, and the military is preparing for a possible cross-border offensive against rebel bases in northern Iraq. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
