Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Baghdad Thursday on a visit aimed at boosting the bilateral ties marred by Turkey's cross-border strikes on rebels based in northern Iraq.

    Erdogan was received at Baghdad airport by his Iraqi counterpart Nuri al-Maliki and other senior Iraqi officials, including Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and Oil Minister Husseinal-Shahristani, an airport official told Xinhua.

    On the first visit to his southern neighbor since the 2003 U.S.-led war of Iraq, Erdogan is expected to seal a strategic partnership agreement between Baghdad and Ankara, along with discussing security, economic, and cultural relations with Iraqi leaders, Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Labid Abawi said earlier.

    Erdogan will hold a meeting with Maliki, and other senior Iraqi leaders, including President Jalal Talabani and two vice presidents -- Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shiite, and Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni, Abawi said.

    Observers said Erdogan's visit to Baghdad comes as the Iraqi government proved its willingness to subdue both Shiite and Sunni militia and bring relative stability, which has persuaded world leaders to enhance ties with the oil-rich country.

    Turkey has been annoyed by frequent assaults by the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) guerrillas who hole up in northern Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region.

    Iraq said action had been taken against the PKK, including closing offices and cutting supply routes. Yet, Turkey regards those operations as not sufficient enough to stem out PKK activities.

    The Turkish military has air stricken and fired shells on the rebel targets as well as chased into the Iraqi territory since the parliament passed a authorization bill in October.

    The strikes drew strong reaction from Iraq which accuses Turkey of violating Iraq's sovereignty. Ankara, however, disavows any attempt on Iraq's territory.

    Iraqi President Jalal Talabani traveled to Turkey in March in a bid to mend the rift.

    Given the discord over the PKK issue, neither is willing to seethe tension escalated, analysts said.

    Turkey is Iraq's major investor, especially in the northern Kurdish region. Iraq also depends on Turkey to boost its oil exports as a vital pipeline links the Kirkuk oil field in Iraq to a Turkish port.

    A Turkish trade delegation visited Iraq last month to discuss investment in a wide range of fields, including energy, electricity and transportation.

    Turkish military operations in the relatively stable Kurdish region will put at risk the hard-fought progress in other areas of Iraq, the analysts said.