Turkey intensifies contacts with regional administration in N.Iraq

As a latest move, a Turkish delegation has been reported to meet Tuesday the leader of the regional Kurdish administration in northern Iraq, Massoud Barzani, in Baghdad.

Turkey's move signals an important policy shift in the country's approach to the northern Iraqi administration.  Â

Turkey, which has stepped up its campaign to crackdown on the PKK, has long blamed the Kurdish regional administration in northern Iraq for supporting the terrorist organization and refused to hold contacts.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul is also expected to pay a visit to the neighboring country in the coming weeks, accepting an invitation from Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd.

Following the first contact between Turkish and Iraqi Kurdish officials, which was held after another PKK attack late in 2007, the northern Iraq administration took several steps but those were not satisfactory. Â

LONG-LASTING STRUGGLE
Turkey, provided with intelligence by the United States in its fight against the PKK, wants to cooperate with the central Iraqi government in the northern Iraqi areas, where PKK camps are located, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Monday.

He also said Turkey intensified its efforts regarding the European part of the struggle, adding the issue is not only limited to northern Iraq.

"We are in a long-lasting struggle. We will do everything necessary in this struggle," he said.

Erdogan said his country held three high-level security meetings in recent weeks, and added Turkey would continue the planning of steps to be taken against the PKK.