The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Damascus

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki on Monday pledged their support for efforts to defuse a crisis between Ankara and Baghdad over PKK rebels based in northern Iraq. "The Iranians have initiated efforts which complement those of Syria, because we want to give a political solution a chance," Muallem said of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters based in Iraqi Kurdistan. "The PKK terrorists threaten not only Turkey but also Iran and Syria," said Mottaki, who arrived in Damascus earlier Monday and held talks with President Bashar al-Assad. "The terrorist operations from the north of Iraq create a destabilising effect throughout the region," said Mottaki, whose country like Syria has its own sizeable Kurdish minority. After coming under criticism from Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Syria earlier this month denied that Assad had during a visit to Ankara given his backing for a Turkish military strike against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.