Washington, Sept 27: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani
said here that the US military presence in Iraq keeps
neighbours from invading his country.
"The American presence has always prevented any kind of
foreign invasion to Iraq," Talabani said yesterday.
"That's one of the main reasons why we think that we need
an American presence, even symbolical, in the country to
prevent our neighbours attacking us," he said at a forum at
the Woodrow Wilson Centre, a Washington think thank.
Talabani also said Baghdad could not "further tolerate"
neighbours' interference in its internal affairs.
"I think that our neighbours must understand that our
patience is limited," he said, refusing to single out
countries but adding "we mean all of them."
Iraq shares borders with Syria, Iran, Turkey, Jordan,
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Asked if there was concern over aggression from turkey,
Talabani said: "I don't think there is any danger for invasion
by Turkey to Iraq."
Iraq has "good relations" with the government of Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and could help Ankara in
its conflict with the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK), he said.
"We could convince PKK to stop fighting in Turkey," the
Iraqi leader said.
Talabani also insisted that Iraq would not spiral down
into civil war.
"There would be no civil war. We have problems, we have
some kind of extremists who are fighting against each other.
They are not representing the whole society," he said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, September 27, 2006, 00:00