Talabani denies saying Turkey didn't support him

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani yesterday denied claims that he complained about Turkey 's position on his election as president during its attempt to mediate among Iraqi political factions during the country's eight-month political stalemate. Talabani denied statements that he allegedly to Turkish daily Milliyet last week saying that Turkey made a "wrong choice" in allegedly supporting former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's cross-sectarian alliance, which narrowly won the March parliamentary elections. In a written statement, Talabani said he did not discuss Turkish political involvement with the paper, according to a new story in Milliyet. President Abdullah Gul over the weekend expressed surprise at Talabani's alleged remarks. "I don't know what this is based on or how he came to this conclusion. But we're sorry and surprised. I was the first to call and congratulate him," said Gul. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also told reporters that Ankara hadn't supported any Iraqi political party.