(18 Oct 2007)
1. Pan of exterior of the Arab league headquarters in Cairo
2. Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan entering the Arab league headquarters with officials
3. Arab League secretary general, Amr Moussa and Babacan sitting together
4. Cutaway of media (++ MUTE++)
5. Babacan and Moussa walking to podium
6. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) General Amr Moussa, Arab League secretary:
"We hope that things will not escalate and do not reach confrontation or use of force."
7. Wide of news conference
8. SOUNDBITE: (Turkish) Ali Babacan, Turkey's Foreign Minister:
"We have made every effort with the U.S government and the Iraqi government to rout out terrorists and we have received promises but they have not been carried out"
9. Moussa and Babacan leave
++NIGHT SHOT++
10. Exterior of the Arab league headquarters
STORYLINE:
Turkey's Foreign Minister met with Arab league leader Amr Moussa in Cairo on Thursday, as Turkey sought to explain to its Arab neighbours the decision by its parliament to approve possible military operations into northern Iraq.
Turkey's Parliament voted 507-19 on Wednesday to approve military operations over the next year against rebel fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) based in northern Iraq.
The vote removed the last legal obstacle to an offensive, but there was no sign of imminent action, as Iraq and the United States urged restraint.
However on Thursday Babacan said that promises by the Iraqi and US governments to deal with the PKK in northern Iraq had not been fulfilled.
"We have made every effort with the U.S government and the Iraqi government to rout out terrorists and we have received promises but they have not been carried out."
Arab league leader Amr Moussa said that he hoped that an offensive would not be carried out.
"We hope that things will not escalate and do not reach confrontation or use of force."
Turkish leaders, under pressure from Washington and Baghdad, have signalled they would not immediately give the order to send thousands of soldiers, armour and attack helicopters into a region that has largely escaped the chaos of the Iraq war.
Babacan earlier met with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
Babacan was in Egypt as part of a goodwill trip to the Middle East that will also include Lebanon.
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