"We discussed the need to re-activate the trilateral discussions ... on containing the PKK terrorist activities on the border region," Zebari told reporters after talks with Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul here.

"These will be activated in the near future ... to be followed by some other measures, hopefully, in order to reinforce our joint cooperation in this area," he said.

Ankara has long pressed the United States and Baghdad to purge northern Iraq of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) -- blacklisted as a terrorist group by both Ankara and Washington -- whose armed militants have found refuge in the mountainous region since 1999.

The issue has grown more important for Ankara this year amid mounting PKK violence, with the army shifting thousands of troops to the Iraqi border to stop what it has described as increasing infiltration of PKK militants.

Much to Ankara's anger and frustration, both Baghdad and Washington have been reluctant to take military action against the PKK, arguing that their forces are swamped by violence in other parts of conflict-torn Iraq.

During a visit to Ankara in April, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Turkey against cross-border operations to pursue the PKK in northern Iraq and called for the revival of the trilateral meetings, which have stalled since January 2005.

Last month, the US ambassador in Turkey said Washington has started talks with the new Baghdad government on "effective action" against the PKK.

"It is not possible for the Iraqi government to allow its territory to be used for acts that endanger the security of neighboring countries," Zebari said Monday.

Gul, for his part, expressed support for a national reconciliation plan revealed on June 25 by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in a bid to end a raging anti-US insurgency and sectarian violence.

"We hope the international community and other friendly nations will also lend their support to Iraq," Gul said. "Iraq's peace and stability is important not only for Iraq, but for the whole region."

A senior Turkish diplomat said Gul proposed to Zebari a training program for Iraqi policemen in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir.

The two ministers also agreed to open at least two new border crossing points between the two countries within three years in a bid to increase bilateral trade and to invigorate railway transport, the diplomat said.

Currently, there is only one border gate between Turkey and Iraq.

The ministers also signed a document envisaging closer ties between their foreign ministries.

Gul also called for the signing of a bilateral agreement to fight terrorism and reiterated Turkish demands for the extradition of two Turkish militants with suspected links to Al-Qaeda who are wanted over the four suicide bombings in Istanbul in November 2003, which claimed 63 lives, the diplomat said.

The pair fled to Iraq after the attacks and are known to have been held in an US-controlled prison since November 2004.

Zebari also met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

He was scheduled to travel to Istanbul to meet with Turkish businessmen and open an Iraqi consulate there before wrapping up his visit Thursday.