Turkey reiterates persistence to have military presence in northern Iraq

Turkey reiterated yesterday its persistence to maintain a military presence in the north of Iraq. A spokesman for the Turkish foreign ministry said that the nature of this military existence is changing according to the security conditions developments in the region.

In the same context the Turkish prime minister Bulent Ecevit considered that the US has recently showed "flexibility" in its position concerning Iraq, describing this development as "a pleasing matter."