Turkish FM undersecretary visits Iraq tomorrow

Turkish Foreign Ministry Official Spokesman Selcuk Unal has announced that Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirliolu is to head to Baghdad, tomorrow, Saturday for a two-day visit to iraq during which he holds talks with the iraqi officials on enhancing and coordinating effective cooperation against the Kurdistan Workers'' Party (PKK) . Feridun Sinirliolu will also discuss the issue of the fight against terrorism, as well as bilateral and regional issues, Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal told a news conference here Friday. Sinirliolu is expected to have talks with Massoud Barzani, president of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, in Arbil. Developments in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad faces mounting international criticism over a brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests, are also expected to be discussed in talks with Barzani. For his part, Nechirvan Barzani, deputy chairman of Massoud Barzani''s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), is also expected to visit Ankara but it was not immediately known when the visit will take place. Sinirliolu''s visit to Iraq comes amid a surge in PKK attacks on Turkish troops. Dozens of troops were killed in PKK attacks over the past couple of months. In August, the Turkish military launched aerial attacks on PKK targets in northern Iraq, killing up to 160 terrorists. The PKK uses its bases in northern Iraq to launch attacks on Turkey. Its Iranian wing, the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK), is also involved in clashes with Iranian forces. On Thursday, Turkey''s opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Baheli called on the government to authorize a ground offensive against PKK targets in northern Iraq before winter, saying "no stone should be left unturned" in the Kandil Mountains where the PKK has bases.