Turkish Military Liason Team Arrives at Bagdat
Diplomatic sources stated that the liaison team’s presence in Iraq is unconnected with the possibility of a troop deployment. They are there to coordinate American and Turkish cooperation in a planned action against the Kurdish Workers Party – Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (PKK-KADEK) forces in Northern Iraq.
The Turkish team will be under the command of Coalition Joint Task Force Seven (CJTF7) headquarters and linked to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Talks between the U.S. and Turkey regarding the PKK-KADEK issue will resume next week in Ankara. A US delegation led by Cofer Black, the US State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, will be in Ankara on October 1st.
On September 12th, both delegations had decided on a joint action plan. At the first meeting, the US delegation had been led by Lynn Pascoe and the Turkish delegation by Nabi Sensoy, Minister of Foreign Affairs Deputy Undersecretary. Sensoy will lead the Turkish delegation again in the upcoming talks.
In other news, British Ambassador to Ankara Peter Westmacott has expressed a desire to see Turkish troops in Iraq and announced an official visit by Britain’s Chief of General Staff Michael Walker and the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Defence Adam Ingram on September 28th.
