Maliki vows to stop Kurdish rebels

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Saturday vowed to help Turkey defeat Kurdish rebels hiding in the rugged mountains of northern Iraq.

Maliki made the pledge at a one-day conference in Istanbul, Turkey, as foreign ministers of Iraq's six neighbors gathered with other international diplomats to talk about security and stability in Iraq, the BBC reported.

The first conference, held in Egypt in May, resulted in an agreement by participating countries to forgive Iraq about $30 billion in debt.

Turkey is pressing Iraq to do more to stop the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK, whose rebels attack Turkey from bases in northern Iraq. Maliki offered no specifics, saying he would not allow Iraq to be used to attack Turkey, which has moved an estimated 100,000 troops on its southern border for a possible offensive to destroy PKK hideouts.

U.S. President George W. Bush and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan are to meet in Washington Monday to discuss the solutions to the border crisis.