ANKARA - Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari was expected here on a two-day visit on May Friday for talks on economic and security issues, Turkish officials said Wednesday.
"During the visit, the two sides will review bilateral ties and exchange views on fields and projects they can cooperate on concerning the reconstruction of Iraq," foreign ministry spokesman Namik Tan told a press conference.
Jaafari was to be accompanied by several ministers, including minister of oil Ibrahim Bahr al-Ulum and water resources minister Latif Rashid, on his first trip abroad since coming to office last month.
Details of his itinerary were not immediately available, but Jaafari was expected to hold talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, while the Iraqi ministers accompanying would meet their Turkish counterparts.
"We should see Jaafari's visit an oportunity to discuss what contributions Turkey can make to the (reconstruction) process in Iraq" both economically and politicallly, Osman Koruturk, Turkey's top diplomat dealing with Iraq, told the NTV news channel.
Turkey wants to help rebuild the war-torn country and supports the post-war political process, but has several concerns that it sees directly linked to its own security.
Ankara is particularly uneasy that separatist Turkish Kurd rebels who went into hiding in the mountains of northern Iraq before the US-led invasion are increasingly infiltrating Turkey to engage in anti-government violence.
It is frustrated that no action has so far been taken against the estimated 5,000 rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), considered terrorist by both Turkey and the United States, since October 2003, when the two sides agreed on an action plan including military measures.
At a three-way meeting in January, Iraqi, US and Turkish officials discussed measures to tackle the rebels, including intelligence cooperation, but the talks failed to produce any immediate military action.
Korutuk said although a possible military operation against the PKK is not on the books in the near future, Ankara nonetheless expected Baghdad and US forces in Iraq to act on a list of wanted PKK militants it has handed to both parties.
"We waited for the (Iraqi) government to come into office for any action to be taken regarding the list," he said. "Now we expect the government to determine the whereabouts of these people, arrest and extradite them."
The official added that Jaafari's visit would give the two sides an opportunity to discuss long-standing plans to open a second border post between the two countries and the possible sale of electricity to Iraq.
Another worry for Turkey is the future of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, claimed by Iraqi Kurds as well as Turkmens, an Iraqi minority of Turkish descent.
Turkey suspects Iraqi Kurds of plotting to break away from Baghdad and make Kirkuk the capital of a future independent state -- a nightmare scenario for Ankara, which fears possible fallout on its own sizeable Kurdish community.
"Kirkuk is a city that belongs to all of Iraq. It is a city where ethnic and sectarian clashes could occur and it could even lead to the break-up of Iraq if it is not part of the country," Koruturk said.
05/18/2005 13:24 GMT