ANKARA, Dec. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen on Tuesday urged Iraq to repay over 800 million US dollars owed to Turkish petroleum products exporters.

    "We request that the payment be made by Iraq immediately," Tuzmen was quoted by the semi-official Anatolia News Agency as saying, when he met with the Iraqi Minister of Housing and Construction Jasim Muhammad Jafar in Ankara.

    Tuzmen also stressed that the Agreement on Double Taxation Prevention must be signed between the two countries as soon as possible, for the Turkish firms were greatly weakened by the heavy tax imposed by Iraqi authorities.

    "We must find a solution to this problem," he added.

    For his part, Jafar encouraged Turkish companies to take part in Iraq's reconstruction, saying "Iraq needs three million new homes by 2010, which is a market of 120 billion dollars waiting for Turkish firms."

    In addition, about 10,000 kilometers of new motorway need to be built in Iraq, said Jafar, adding that his ministry allocated 500 million dollars for these projects.

    It is reported that Turkey's trade volume with Iraq will reach 5.5 billion dollars by the end of 2005.