Turkey Kicked Out Of Iraqi Oil Kitchen

During a common discussion of Turkish, Iraqi and American senior officials Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan told Hoshyar Zebari that Ankara was unhappy of being left out of the oil tenders to explore and develop the existing oil fields in Iraq.

Babacan said Turkey expected Iraq to keep its promise made during President Jalal Talabani's recent visit to Ankara to expand and deepen relations in all fields including energy.

The foreign ministers of Iraq, Turkey and the U.S. met on the sidelines of a conference of Iraq's neighbors as the Washington administration welcomed the cooperation between Ankara and Baghdad in fighting the terrorist organization PKK.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers Party, "an enemy of stability and therefore an enemy of Iraq, Turkey and the United States." Turkey launched several aerial attacks and a major ground operation in northern Iraq against outlawed PKK positions in February.

Turkish foreign minister said the fight against the PKK continues with the support of the U.S. and Iraq, and Turkey is ready to contribute to the efforts for stabilizing the country. Turkey is using every instrument in fight against terrorism, Babacan added.