Syria and Iran support political solution for Iraq-Turkey crisis

Both Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki on Monday pledged their commitment to resolving the ongoing crisis between Turkey and Iraq over PKK rebels, Agence France-Presse reported the same day.

“The Iranians have initiated efforts which complement those of Syria, because we want to give a political solution a chance,” Muallem said of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters based in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Mottaki arrived in Damascus on Monday to hold talks with President Bashar al-Assad. “The PKK terrorists threaten not only Turkey but also Iran and Syria,” the Iranian foreign minister said.

Earlier this month, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani criticized Syria for allegedly backing a Turkish military strike against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. However, Syria denied that Assad ever gave his support for such a strike.

According to the article “Turkey has threatened a major cross-border assault on PKK bases in remote mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan if Baghdad and Washington fail to make good on promises to crack down on the rebels.”

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