Babacan: "Ankara can develop ties with the N.Iraqi administration if it distances itself from the PKK"

A Turkish delegation headed by Ahmet Davutoglu, the prime minister's chief foreign policy adviser, met yesterday with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Nechirvan Barzani, the premier of the northern Iraqi Kurdish administration. The meeting was also attended by Turkey's Special Envoy to Iraq Murat Ozcelik and high-ranking officials from the Iraqi government and Kurdish administration. A statement issued by the Iraqi Presidency said that the Turkish delegation and the Kurdish administration discussed issues that have recently caused tension in relations. The two delegations drew up a list of measures to eliminate barriers to developing relations, said the statement. Commenting on the visit, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan told reporters that Ankara wanted to develop ties with the northern Iraqi administration, adding that the administration's stance on the terrorist PKK was key to this. If they can distance themselves from the terrorist group and show their goodwill, Ankara can establish better dialogue, said Babacan, adding that Turkish-Iraqi relations should not get mired on the PKK issue.