Turkish PM to met Maliki soon

BAGHDAD, June 9 (UPI) -- The Turkish prime minister plans to discuss rebuilding the Iraqi southern port city of Basra and cooperative endeavors with Iraq, a spokesman said Monday.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told The Times of London that Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan plans to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani soon, declining exact dates because of security concerns.

"It is highly significant. It is very important for us to diversify our relationship," Dabbagh said.

The spokesman said Turkey wants to work on developing Basra into a free-trade zone.

"They are thinking of a railway from Basra, a new line which will facilitate the transit of goods," he said.

Several Arab states in the region made gestures recently to improve their relationship with Iraq. Bahrain said Sunday it would appoint an ambassador to Iraq following a similar move by the United Arab Emirates.

None of the Arab states has established formal diplomatic ties to Iraq since the Egyptian ambassador to Iraq was killed in 2005.