Iraq visit historic, not for its content

"It’s meaningless to engage in such harmful debates at a time when we are struggling against terrorism and when we have made significant progress on this tough issue," Gül said.

In line with Gül’s advice, it would be much more useful to put an eye on the substance. The first and foremost topic discussed in Baghdad was obviously the fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which uses northern Iraq as a base for its attacks against Turkey. The results of Gül’s talks reflected a "deeply divided" picture of Iraqi administration on many issues but especially on the elimination of the PKK.

Jalal Talabani, president of Iraq, who himself is an Iraqi Kurd and leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, or PUK, is clear on the need to force the PKK to leave the region or quit the armed struggle. The officials underlined that Talabani foresees that there stands only Turkey who can extend its hands to Kurds during a possible internal conflict in Iraq especially after the withdrawal of the United States. That’s why he repeated his strong commitment to eradicate the PKK, the way he did just a week ago in Istanbul.

Different stance

However Talabani is not the single ruler of the country. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry, for example, has a different stance on the issue, which could be asserted considering that Minister Hosyhar Zebari is one of the right hands of Massoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, a Shiite, is reportedly at daggers drawn with Barzani. That was because Barzani did not want to come to Baghdad to meet with

But instead, his nephew and prime minister, Nechirvan Barzani, met with Gül in Baghdad. Gül said he warned Barzani against sheltering the PKK in their region and told him to take all necessary steps in this end. On the contrary, what Barzani suggested was far from meeting Turkey’s expectations. He advised Turkey to issue a general amnesty to end the PKK presence, in his interviews with the press. Gül denied he talked this issue with Barzani and apparently showed his reaction. "It’s our internal issue. I don’t discuss it with others," he said.

The decision to build a command center in Arbil with Turkey, the U.S. and the KRG was seen as a positive development to ensure Iraqi Kurdish authority’s engagement. But according to Turkish diplomats, it proceeds still very slow and concrete measures are still not visible. "A general amnesty is not out of the question. Turkey has already issued several amnesties in the past and there is still a valid law in which PKK members could use if they want to leave the organization. But the scope and the timing of a new regulation should be carefully studied. Issuing a general amnesty can only be a part of a larger set of measures to eliminate the PKK. Otherwise it cannot constitute itself a separate measure," officials said.

On Barzani’s visit to Ankara, there is not a positive evaluation. He made it clear that "he will only come to Turkey with his title of President of Kurdistan Regional Government."