Turkey and Iraq strike strategic deal
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (L) warmly greeted his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, upon his arrival in Baghdad.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday became the first senior Turkish leader to visit neighboring Iraq since the US-led war in 2003, pledging to deepen cooperation with the country in all areas after years of tension in ties.

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"This is a visit that came late. We are sorry for this," Erdoğan said at a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Nouri al-Maliki, in Baghdad. "We are neighbors, but more than that, we are brothers." "This is a historic visit. ... The time is right for Turkey and Iraq to have developed relations, al-Maliki said. Relations between Turkey and Iraq have long been strained by the presence of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists in Iraqi territory. Trade between the two countries, once booming, suffered and diplomatic tension brought dialogue to a minimum. Things began to improve last year, following a visit by al-Maliki, who pledged to support Turkey in its efforts to fight terrorism. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani visited Ankara in March, taking the dialogue a step further.

Erdoğan and al-Maliki signed a document committing the two countries to maintaining high-level strategic dialogue in the areas of trade, energy and security. Accordingly, ministers for security, energy, trade, investment and water resources will meet three times a year and the prime ministers will also meet at least once a year to review the progress in issues under discussion. The document did not mention the PKK, but called for stronger cooperation on border security.

The prime minister thanked the Baghdad government as well as the Kurdish administration running northern Iraq for their support for Turkey's fight against terrorism. "Eliminating the PKK is one of the most serious, most important tasks for the two countries. Striking the PKK issue off the agenda of the two countries' relations is in the interest of both sides," Erdoğan said, emphasizing that terrorist elements should never be allowed to poison relations between countries of the region.

Turkey had expressed frustration over Iraq's perceived reluctance or inability to hunt down the PKK terrorists, who conduct hit-and-run attacks on Turkish targets from bases in northern Iraq. Backed by US intelligence, Turkey launched a cross-border ground offensive against the PKK in February. The brief campaign triggered pro-*test*-('")s from Iraq, although Erdoğan said Iraq has cooperated with Turkish military operations on Iraqi soil and expressed his gratitude.

Erdoğan was welcomed warmly in Baghdad -- he was greeted by al-Maliki at the airport and a military ceremony welcomed him to the Iraqi capital. He also met Talabani, an ethnic Kurd, later during his visit, but notably absent in his schedule was a trip to Iraq's Kurdish-run north or a meeting with Kurdish officials. Despite a recent rapprochement, relations between Turkey and the Kurds are still plagued by suspicions over the Kurds' stance towards the PKK.

Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani recently told an Italian newspaper that the PKK was not a terrorist organization, sending a chill through prospects that Erdoğan might include talks with Kurdish officials in his Iraq visit.

But his acknowledgment of the Kurdish "support and understanding" for Turkey's anti-terror efforts is a sign that the door for dialogue is still open. Kurdish officials are optimistic that Erdoğan, the first Turkish prime minister to visit Iraq in 18 years, could also break a taboo by visiting Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish region.

"We want Erdoğan to come to Arbil after Baghdad and open the closed doors [of dialogue]," said Arbil Governor Nawzad Hadi to Today's Zaman. "We may have problems with Turkey, but these problems should be resolved through dialogue. We expect Erdoğan to take courageous and determined steps."

Partners in trade

Erdoğan, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek, who is also head of a state anti-terror committee, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, Foreign Trade Minister Kürşad Tüzmen and Energy Minister Hilmi Güler, also discussed energy and trade in his talks with Iraqi officials.

Turkish firms and products dominate northern Iraq's economy, and the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) is in oil exploration talks. Exports of oil from Iraq's northern Kirkuk fields flow through a pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. Plans are being drawn up for a natural gas link.

During Talabani's visit to Ankara, Turkey's trade minister said bilateral trade between the two countries was targeted to reach $20 billion within two years, compared to some $3.5 billion in 2007 and $940 million in 2003. In addition, contracts signed by Turkish construction firms in Iraq in 2007 topped $4 billion.

The visit also meant a diplomatic victory and growing regional clout for war-torn Iraq. For his part, al-Maliki said he was pleased the leader of a strategic neighbor and regional economic power was in town. Violence continues in Iraq, but Erdoğan's visit reflected a security situation that has improved more rapidly than many expected, partly because of the US troop surge in 2007 and new alliances between Sunni leaders and American forces.

Erdoğan said he supported Iraq's territorial integrity and expressed faith that Iraq could soon become a stable and democratic country provided that it maintains unity. He also called on neighboring countries to support Iraqi unity and deepen their ties in all areas with the country.

"We must all help our Iraqi brothers with the reconstruction of Iraq," Erdoğan said. "I say to our neighboring friends in the region, the future of Iraq is our future. We must increase our support."

Kuwait said on Thursday it planned to soon appoint an ambassador to Iraq because security had improved enough to allow the reopening of their embassy. That follows a flurry of diplomatic activity from other Gulf states. Jordan's King Abdullah is also expected to visit Baghdad soon.

11 July 2008, Friday
TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES İSTANBUL