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Turkish PM speaks out against Kurdish threats

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused on Tuesday to rule out the possibility of military operations into northern Iraq to root out armed Kurdish separatist groups that he said had taken refuge in the border region.

Erdogan also criticized some Western countries for what he called an increasingly hawkish stance against Iran.

Meeting with a group of foreign journalists on Tuesday ahead of his trip to the US to meet with US President George W. Bush and others attending the UN General Assembly next week, Erdogan said that despite the relative calm in the northern region of Iraq bordering Turkey, all options remained open in his country's struggle against Kurdish separatist militants.

"No country can continue living under the constant threat of terrorism," Erdogan said in his office at his party headquarters in Ankara. "This struggle has the same legitimacy for Turkey as it has for the US, Spain or United Kingdom."

The PKK, or Kurdistan Workers' Party, has been operating in Turkey since the 1980s, pressing demands for a separate Kurdish state in a conflict that has taken more than 30,000 lives.

There are around 3,500 armed rebels taking shelter in the mountains of northern Iraq and launching hit-and-run attacks inside Turkey according to Turkish officials. These attacks, which have been more frequent in recent months, have led the Turkish military to insist on an active operation to counter them.

"We have done our part in joint struggle against terrorism in Afghanistan as requested by the US," Erdogan said. "Now, we expect the same approach from the US when we expect a three pronged approach -- US, Iraq and Turkey -- to function against the terror organization settled in Northern Iraq."

Turkey has unilaterally entered northern Iraq three times since the 1990s with large numbers of troops and so-called hot pursuits by special army units have become common along the Iraqi border throughout the years.

A large-scale Turkish military operation now, however, could complicate matters in Iraq. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates have warned Turkey against such military action, urging a political resolution.

The general elections and presidential election in Turkey this summer stalled any activity against the PKK, but the issue continues to simmer as Kurdish separatist attacks take lives in the predominantly Kurdish southeast.

The growing international tension surrounding Iran's nuclear ambitions has added another layer of complexity to Turkey's relationship with the US and Europe, which have accused the Iranians of trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian energy.

Erdogan has strongly opposed the idea of military action against Iran, calling instead for an objective analysis of the Iranian nuclear program.

He questioned the accusations against Iran, saying, "We have to trust their word that they are using nuclear power for peaceful humanitarian needs until otherwise is proven."

Turkey has signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on natural gas with Iran, Turkey's second-largest provider of natural gas. That agreement was criticized by Nicholas Burns, the US undersecretary of state for political affairs, in a conference in Washington last week.

Burns arrived in Turkey on Tuesday for a two-day official visit and was scheduled to meet the newly appointed president, Abdullah Gul; the prime minister; and other officials in Ankara yesterday.

Erdogan brushed off the US criticism and said that Turkey would determine its own policies.

"Our foreign policy is based on gaining friends, not enemies," Erdogan said.
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