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ANKARA, May 20 (AFP) - 14h19 - Iraqi Prime
Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said Friday that Baghdad
would hold talks with Damascus soon to demand action
against insurgents infiltrating from Syria and
warned that his country would not tolerate threats
from its neighbours.
"There are some armed groups infiltrating from
Syria. We will talk about how much the Syrian
government knows about these infiltrations," Jaafari
told reporters here after meeting his Turkish
counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"There will be a visit to Syria soon and one of the
dossiers will be security," he said through a
translator.
The United States has repeatedly accused Syria of
aiding the Iraqi insurgency by supplying foreign
fighters or failing to prevent militants from
crossing the border into Iraq, a charge Damascus
denies.
"We want to strengthen ties with all countries,
primarilly our neighbours, but we will never accept
anything that harms our economy and security," said
Jaafari, who is in Turkey on his first visit abroad
since he came to power last month.
He said Baghdad would implement a number of
measures, including border controls, monitoring
insurgent groups and asking neighbouring countries
to prevent infriltrations.
His remarks came against a backdrop of rising
sectarian tensions in war-torn Iraq despite repeated
warnings from religious leaders against any acts
aimed at dividing Sunnis and Shiites.
Jaafari said Iraq would not fall prey to sectarian
violence.
"There may those who plan (such violence), but Iraqi
(society) stays away from such evil," he said.
Jaafari sought to dispel Ankara's concerns over an
estimated 5,000 Turkish Kurdish rebels hiding in
northern Iraq as Turkey says they are infiltrating
back into Turkish terrirory in growing numbers to
commit acts of violence.
"In line with the principle of good neighbourly
relations, we will never allow any group to harm the
security, economy and politics of a neighbouring
country," he said.
Erdogan said he welcomed Jaafari's pledge to "take
common action" against rebels of the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and stressed the need
to share intelligence to combat terrorism.
"Our aim is to prevent Iraq from becoming a training
ground for terrorists," he said, offering to help
train Iraqi security forces.
Erdogan also praised Iraq's commitment to its
territorial integrity.
"We are unanimous on the preservation of Iraq's
territorial integrity and strengthening its
political unity," he said.
"We see that the Iraqi administration is determined
to establish unity and peace by bringing different
groups together and not allowing one ethnic group to
establish superiority over another," he added.
Turkey suspects Iraqi Kurds of plotting to break
away from Iraq and set up an independent state with
its capital in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which is
claimed by the Kurds as well as the Turkmens, an
Iraqi minority of Turkish descent.
Ankara fears that such a move would fan separatism
among its own Kurdish community.
Jaafari is in Turkey with a large ministerial
delegation, including the ministers of oil, finance,
trade, electricity and industry, who are expected to
hold talks with their Turkish counterparts later
Friday.
The two sides have already agreed to increase
Turkey's electricity sales to Iraq from about 200
megawatts now to 350 megawatts by the end of the
month and to 1,200 by the end of the year, a Turkish
official said.
They also discussed plans to open a second border
post between the two countries, as well as security
measures for Turkish truck drivers who have
increasingly come under attack in Iraq, the official
said.
Jaafari is scheduled to meet Turkish business people
later Friday before attending a dinner in his honour
hosted by Erdogan.
He will meet Turkish parliament speaker Bulent Arinc
on Saturday before flying back home.
AFP
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