November 01, 2007	Thursday	Shawwal 19, 1428

BAGHDAD, Oct 31: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday urged Tehran to help defuse the crisis with Turkey over Kurdish rebels and called for Iran’s support at a conference on Iraq this week.

“The prime minister urged Iran to help defuse the border crisis between Turkey and the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) and to give its entire support at the Istanbul conference,” a statement from Maliki’s office said.

Ankara has threatened to launch a military incursion into northern Iraq to flush out PKK rebels who have been fighting for self-rule in southeastern Turkey since 1984.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan visited Tehran on Sunday, warning Ankara could launch an attack on PKK militants in northern Iraq but failing to win the support of neighbouring Iran for a military strike.

Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria all have Kurdish minorities.

During a visit to Damascus on Monday, Mottaki and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem of key regional ally Syria pledged their support for efforts to contain the crisis.

Maliki’s office said the premier also told Mottaki of Baghdad’s desire for peace in the region, saying: “When Iraq rids itself of the difficulties it faces, it would help the entire region.” On Wednesday, the Pentagon said it was sharing intelligence with Turkey about PKK.

“The key for any sort of any military response, by the Turks or anybody else, is actionable intelligence,” Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters in Washington.

“We have given them intelligence with regards to this situation for a long time. We have given them more and more intelligence as a result of their recent concerns.” Meanwhile, Mottaki and his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari said the international conference on Iraq opening in Istanbul on Thursday night must focus on the nation’s security rather than tensions with Turkey.

“We discussed the Istanbul conference and its importance,” Zebari said at a press conference with Mottaki.

“We stressed that the conference must focus on Iraq’s stability and security and not be distracted by the current tension with Turkey and the terrorist operations by the PKK.” Mottaki said his talks with Zebari covered the Istanbul meeting and economic ties between Baghdad and Tehran, with trade between the two neighbours now worth $2.2 billion.

“We hope that the Istanbul conference focuses on the security in Iraq,” he said.

Zebari also reiterated the need for a sustained dialogue between Tehran and Washington on the situation in Iraq and expressed readiness to host a fresh round of talks between the arch-foes.

“We discussed the necessity of continued dialogue between Iran and the United States as it is positive for us and for the region,” Zebari said.

“Abandoning such a process would be negative.” Mottaki said Tehran would consider holding such a meeting “positively” but stressed that Baghdad must secure the release of Iranians being detained by the US military.

The United States accuses Iran of seeking to sabotage security in Iraq by supplying weapons, including rockets, armour-piercing explosives and mines that have killed American soldiers — claims denied by Tehran.

Tehran wants the release of six Iranian officials detained in Iraq by US forces who accuse them of being members of a unit of the elite Revolutionary Guards on a covert mission to stir trouble in Iraq.

“The Iraqi government is responsible for their release. We have taken the needed measures to release them,” Mottaki said without elaborating.—AFP