International

Diplomats Work to Defuse Turkey-Iraq Tensions

By Ivan Watson, Scott Simon

Published November 3, 2007 at 5:00 AM PDT

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged Saturday to work with his country's neighbors to fight terrorism. The comments came as major powers met in Istanbul, looking for ways to defuse the tension between Turkey and Iraq over the activity of Kurdish rebels along their common border.

International

Ivan Watson

Ivan Watson is currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. Following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he has served as one of NPR's foreign "firemen," shuttling to and from hotspots around the Middle East and Central Asia.

Scott Simon

Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy.