Iraq's president said Saturday he was seeking a “strategic” partnership with Turkey as he wrapped up a visit aimed at easing tension sparked by Turkey's eight-day military mission inside Iraq. Jalal Talabani, speaking to members of a Turkish-Iraqi joint business group, also called on Turkish businesses to invest in Iraq, saying increased oil revenues had now put his country in a position where it was able to meet payments. “We want to forge strategic relations in all fields including oil, the economy, trade, culture and politics,” Talabani said. Talabani, a Kurd, arrived in Turkey Friday to allay tensions caused by Turkey's military operation against Kurdish rebels who launch attacks on Turkey from bases in northern Iraq. The offensive ended a week ago. Some had feared the incident could lead to a wider conflict between the two US allies. Talabani said Kurdish rebels would not be tolerated inside its borders, and said Iraq was continuing to put pressure on them to lay down their arms. Turkey is concerned that the example set by the Iraqi Kurds, who run a virtual mini-state within Iraq, could encourage Turkey's Kurdish population to seek a similar arrangement. During Turkey's ground incursion, Iraq demanded an immediate withdrawal and warned of the potential for clashes between Turkish troops and security forces of the semiautonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. The Turkish military, which is receiving US intelligence, said it inflicted heavy losses on a large group of rebels in Iraq's Zap region. The PKK has disputed the claim. The PKK has said it wants political and cultural autonomy for the predominantly Kurdish region of southeastern Turkey. The conflict started in 1984 and has killed tens of thousands of people. On Saturday, Iraq's oil minister said his government will not recognize any oil deals that the northern Kurdish self-governing regions have unilaterally inked with foreign companies. “The central government is in charge of the administration of natural resources and agreements not approved by the central government will not be recognized,” Iraq's oil minister Hussain Al-Shahristani said after a meeting with Turkey's Energy Minister Hilmi Guler. The Kurdistan Regional Government has approved several contracts with international companies, causing tensions with the Iraqi government, which is seeking centralized control over the country's oil resources. Talabani urged Turkish businesses to invest massively in Iraq during. The Iraqi president also cited “progress” in the economy of his turmoil-torn country, saying his finance minister Bayan Jabr Solagh “had in his hand more than $25 billion (16.2 billion euros) for investment and for strategic projects.” Meanwhile, Turkey's deputy minister for foreign trade, Kursda Tuzmen that the two neighbors would conclude “an agreement for a stronger economic partnership” by the end of May. __
