Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein affirmed the possibility of finding a solution to the combat between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq. He indicated that an Iraqi delegation would soon visit Washington to discuss the issue of foreign presence.
Hussein stated in press remarks that "Baghdad does not believe in resolving problems through violence. With the Iranian side, we have reached a set of agreements regarding the opposition armed groups in the region, and it is possible to use the same model with Turkey and the PKK." He explained that "some members of these Iranian opposition parties have been transferred to refugee camps, while others have traveled outside of Iraq."
He denied "any green light from the Iraqi side to the Turks regarding their recent military movements in the Kurdistan region," clarifying that "the issue of the Turkish army's presence will be a point of discussion in upcoming meetings with Turkish officials, especially as discussions with the Turkish side have not yet reached an agreement on the security file."
Hussein commented on reports regarding Hamas leaders planning to leave Qatar for Iraq, saying, "There is no official decision for Hamas to move to Iraq; I have not seen such a decision."
Regarding foreign presence, he confirmed that "Iraq does not believe there is a need to increase the number of NATO forces operating in the country," noting that "an Iraqi military delegation will visit Washington on the 22nd of this month to discuss the presence of American forces in Iraq."
