Talabani Says They Can Provide Escorts If Turkish Drivers Change Their Route

ANKARA - Jalal Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union for Iraqi Kurdistan (PUK), said on Tuesday that they could provide escorts if Turkish drivers changed their route.
Talabani, who arrived in Turkish capital of Ankara, told reporters that he stopped by Turkey before his trip to Europe.
Answering a question on attacks on Turkish drivers in Iraq, Talabani said that they were ready to provide escorts if Turkish drivers changed their route.
Talabani stated that they could escort Turkish drivers till Baghdad if the drivers used Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk routes instead of Mosul. This escort could be provided by them, Iraqi security forces and police, he noted.
When he was recalled about the claims that ''Turkmens were killed by U.S. forces in Iraq'', Talabani said, ''I am sure that those Turkmens were killed by terrorists, not Americans. Those Turkmens are good people, and they are loyal to their country. They weren't killed by U.S. forces.''