Erdogan plans visit to Washington

ANKARA, Turkey, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he has been invited to visit Washington after talks with Iranian leaders in Tehran.

Erdogan talked to reporters Thursday as he flew back to Ankara from Baghdad, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

"I received the invitation today," Erdogan said. "We've been working on alternative dates. If we fix Oct. 29, we will proceed to the United States from Iran."

While Turkey has said it is willing to be a go-between for the United States and Iran, neither country has requested it play such a role.

The prime minister said his trip to Iraq had been productive. He said he signed agreements in a number of areas and hopes Iraq will cooperate with Turkey in its fight against the Kurdish Workers Party or PKK, which has bases in Iraqi Kurdistan.