Iraqi committee to discuss Turkish Kirkuk trip

The Iraqi Foreign Relations Committee is to meet on Sunday to discuss last week's visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to the Kurdistan region of Iraq and the city of Kirkuk.

The visit angered Baghdad, which disputes control of Kirkuk with the Kurdish regional government based in Erbil.

The government accused Davutoglu of not informing Baghdad of the trip and of sparking fresh tensions with Erbil.

A member of the committee and of the national coalition Sami Askari said in a statement that "the committee will direct questions to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry about the circumstances of this visit, and whether there had been approvals given for it" saying that the committee would subsequently make an "appropriate decision."

He said that Iraq enjoyed good relations with Turkey, but warned that the relations required "respect for international relations and protocol between countries."

(UPI, Al-Akhbar)