Foreign ministers meet to stabilize Iraq

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Foreign ministers meeting in Turkey say an Iranian proposal to replace U.S. troops in Iraq would do nothing to stabilize the region.

The ministers, meeting in Istanbul Saturday, rejected Iran's proposal to replace the U.S. military with troops from Iran, Syria and other Arab states, The Washington Times reported.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker called Iran's proposal a "fantasy," The Times reported. Crocker attended the summit, the second in a series aimed at stabilizing Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government Saturday pledged to support Turkey in routing Kurdish rebels from their base camps in northern Iraq.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, promised "visible measures" against the militant Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, to halt their attacks against Turkey, the Times reported.