Talabani to visit Turkey on Friday, Gul can't confirm

Gul told reporters on Tuesday the possible visit of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to Turkey was "not on the Turkish program yet." When Talabani's trip to Ankara became certain it would be publicized timely, he added.

But Nasser al-Ani, the head of the Iraqi president's office, told AP Talabani will pay an official visit to Turkey within the next few days but the exact date has not yet been set. Reuters reported Talabani will visit Ankara on Friday, quoted a Turkish presidential official as saying.

The visit comes one week after Turkish troops withdrew from northern Iraq after a major eight-day ground offensive against outlawed PKK separatists who use the mountainous region as a base from which to stage attacks on Turkey. Talabani himself is a Kurd.