By Mohammed Abbas and Wisam Mohammed
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoganpledged on Thursday to boost ties with Iraq and urged theregion to do more to help the Baghdad government rebuild afteryears of war.
Erdogan is the first Turkish leader to visit Iraq in nearly20 years. His visit came on the same day Kuwait said it plannedto name an ambassador to Baghdad soon because security hadimproved, further easing Iraq's regional diplomatic isolation.
The Turkish leader said both Baghdad and Ankara wanted toform a "security area that would eliminate terrorist threatsbetween the two countries".
Relations have often been strained by Kurdish PKK rebelswho use northern Iraq to launch attacks into neighbouringTurkey.
"With regards to the terrorism of the PKK, we receivedsupport from the Iraqi government ... and the regionalKurdistan government in northern Iraq," Erdogan said at a newsconference in remarks translated from Turkish into Arabic.
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which wants to establishan ethnic homeland in southeast Turkey, uses parts of northernIraq as a base to stage attacks inside Turkey.
Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki establisheda council for "strategic cooperation". Ministers for security,energy, trade, investment and water resources would sit on thecouncil and meet three times a year, a joint statement said.
The document setting up the council did not mention thePKK, but called for stronger cooperation on border security.
"The time is right for Turkey and Iraq to have developedrelations," Maliki said at the news conference.
Kuwait's move to send an ambassador to Iraq and reopen anembassy follows a flurry of diplomatic activity from other GulfArab states with violence in Iraq at a four-year low. Jordan'sKing Abdullah is also expected to visit Baghdad soon.
No Arab ambassador has been stationed in Iraq since Egypt'senvoy was kidnapped and killed shortly after arriving in 2005.
"We must all help our Iraqi brothers with thereconstruction of Iraq," Erdogan said.
"I say to our neighbouring friends in the region, thefuture of Iraq is our future. We must increase our support."
GROUND OFFENSIVE
Turkey's operations in Iraq's largely autonomous Kurdistanregion often draw protests from Baghdad. Ankara for its parthas been highly critical of Baghdad's failure to deal with theseveral thousands of guerrillas holed up in the north.
Iraqi officials say the government has taken some measures,while noting it has major security challenges elsewhere.
Turkey's military launched a big ground offensive againstthe PKK inside northern Iraq in February, prompting concern inWashington about regional instability.
Ankara blames the PKK for 40,000 deaths since 1984 when thegroup took up arms. Like the United States and the EuropeanUnion, Turkey considers the group a terrorist organisation.
Erdogan's visit also focused on economic links.
Maliki said he hoped Turkish firms would play a major rolein rebuilding Iraq after decades of war and sanctions.
"Our success in challenging terror and outlaws has allowedus to move to the reconstruction and investment phase," hesaid.
Turkey is already one of Iraq's most important tradingpartners. Turkish firms and products dominate northern Iraq'seconomy, and Turkish state energy firm TPAO is in oilexploration talks.
Exports of oil from Iraq's northern Kirkuk fields flowthrough a pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on theMediterranean. There are also plans for a natural gas link.
Turkey's trade minister has said bilateral trade betweenthe two countries was targeted to reach $20 billion (10 billionpounds) within two years, compared with more than $3.5 billionin 2007 and $940 million in 2003. Contracts won by Turkishconstruction firms in Iraq in 2007 topped $4 billion.
