Iraq, US and Turkey discuss PKK in Kuwait

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday she is pleased with the cooperation between Iraq and Turkey toward fighting Kurdish militants on Iraqi soil. Rice told reporters in Kuwait everyone is "concerned that Iraq not be a place that can be a haven for terrorists to attack Turkey." She added "cooperation is producing some results there."

Rice also said the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers Party, "an enemy of stability and therefore an enemy of Iraq, Turkey and the United States." Turkey launched several aerial attacks and a major ground operation in northern Iraq against outlawed PKK positions in February.

Turkish foreign minister said the fight against the PKK continues with the support of the U.S. and Iraq, and Turkey is ready to contribute to the efforts for stabilizing the country. Turkey is using every instrument in fight against terrorism, Turkish FM Ali Babacan added.

The foreign ministers also discussed ways to improve cooperation between their countries in areas, such as economy as well as energy, reported the Anatolian Agency reported, citing a diplomatic source. Babacan and his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zabari expressed their pleasure at improvements in the relations between the two neighboring countries.

The expanded ministerial meeting of Iraq's neighboring countries was held in Kuwait on Tuesday. Babacan is representing Turkey in the meeting, which also brings together representatives from the U.N. Security Council, European Commission, Organization of Islamic Conference and the Arab League.

Photo: AP    Â