A.K. Party Leader Erdogan Receives Talabani

ANKARA (A.A) - 07.08.2002 - Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Jalal Talabani said on Wednesday that they wanted to remain within territorial integrity of Iraq and benefit from democratic rights.
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Talabani in party headquarters.
Speaking at the meeting, Talabani said he would go to Washington for a series of talks, stressing that he held some contacts in Turkey within this framework.
Erdogan said he would listen to the reasons of Talabani's visit to Ankara during their meeting.
When journalists recalled that there were interpretations that a de facto Kurdistan State was founded in Northern Iraq, Talabani said there was not a state like Kurdistan State in Iraq.
Talabani said there were Turkomans, Iraqis and Arabs in the region, stressing that they wanted to benefit from democratic rights. He said they also wanted to remain within Iraq's territorial integrity and benefit from democratic rights.