Turkey is also expected to underline the importance of preserving Iraq's territorial integrity and sovereignty. At the first peace talks in Ireland, a draft agreement was drawn up which calls for the demilitarization of the city of Irbil. This will be overseen by a neutral commission formed under the auspices of the Iraqi National Congress. The Azeris want more stringent border controls throughout the region and especially around Azerbaijan. According to Azeri commander Abasali Nevruzov, the old agreements set up with the former Soviet Union are out of date and perform no useful function.
Border patrols can no longer control the flow of drugs and weapons across borders.
The Azeris also want more security in the region through more border controls. Hamilton is an influential member of the House International Relations Committee and has often been critical of Turkey's human rights record. Despite Hamilton's pressures to get the US government to accept that Turkey is abusing human rights in its struggle against PKK terrorism, the State Department has refused to go along with Hamilton's claims. Assistant Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has written a very clear letter in reply to Hamilton's claims, stating that Turkey is in fact, cleaning up its human rights record. The news from Washington is that Kandemir has already welcomed future participants in the conference at a pre-conference meeting in Washington that was followed by a reception at the Turkish Embassy.