SHARM EL-SHEIKH (AA) - Turkey has welcomed Iraq's proposal to sign a similar border security agreement it signed earlier with Syria to prevent infiltration of terrorists, with other neighboring countries including Turkey, sources told the A.A on Tuesday.
The proposal was put forward by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari of Iraq during yesterday's meeting of the regional initiative for Iraq in Sharm el-Sheikh city of Egypt.
Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul asked his Iraqi counterpart to discuss the issue of border security in detail since Turkey has been facing the threat of spread of terrorist acts from Iraq to Turkey.
Meanwhile, Gul had an opportunity of holding a brief talk with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell during yesterday's banquet. The talk focused on recent developments in Iraq.
Gul also met UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and highlighted importance of starting direct flights to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Annan extended his support to Gul's proposal.
Gul is scheduled to meet Powell and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov later in the day.
(UK-MS)
2004-11-23