Erdogan, Maliki to discuss plan to eliminate terrorist PKK bases in N.Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is set to arrive in Ankara today to pay an official visit. Commenting on the visit, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he would discuss with his Iraqi counterpart eliminating terrorist PKK bases in northern Iraq. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani recently proposed a plan for the gradual elimination of the terrorist PKK camps in the region. Erdogan said that they would discuss the details of this plan, adding that he hoped Turkey and Iraq would work to get rid of the terrorist group as quickly as possible. President Abdullah Gul will also pay an official visit to Iraq next month and meet with Talabani to discuss this issue. In related news, the regional assembly in Kirkuk, Iraq has declared Turkmen one of the province's official languages, in addition to Arabic and Kurdish. A signboard in all three languages marking the Kirkuk Governor's Office was officially unveiled yesterday.