Iraq May Hand Over Rebels To Ankara

Talabani had previously said Iraq would never hand over any Kurds to Turkey.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan that Baghdad might agree to hand over Kurdish rebels to Ankara, a Turkish official said on Wednesday.

Talabani had previously said Iraq would never hand over any Kurds to Turkey.

A senior Turkish Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also described planned talks in Ankara on Thursday between Turkish and Iraqi officials as the "final chance" for diplomacy, as the two countries try to avert a major Turkish military incursion to crush the rebels in northern Iraq.

Iraqi National Security Minister Shirwan al Waeli will lead a delegation to Ankara on Thursday for talks with Turkish officials on the crisis.

Talabani, himself a Kurd, confirmed he plans to attend a meeting of Iraq's neighbours in Istanbul on Nov. 2-3, the Turkish official told reporters. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also expected to attend.

Babacan, who visited Baghdad on Tuesday, called for military cooperation between Turkey and Iraq during his talks with Talabani, the official told reporters.