Turkey to up pressure on Iraq over terrorism

Turkey will raise the pressure on both Arbil and Baghdad to further cooperate in its fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the Turkish foreign minister said yesterday. "While launching an intensified and deep relationship with all segments of Iraq, we have also intensified our contacts with the Iraqi central government and northern Iraqi regional government for the full elimination of the terror organization from Iraq," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said." We will continue to increase our demands and pressure on them," Davutoglu added.The fight against terror is among the top priorities of Turkey's foreign policy, Davutoglu said, vowing to prevent the PKK from raising funds in European countries." It is not just the physical existence of the terror organization in northern Iraq, but the financial support coming from these EU countries that makes these terror acts happen," he said.