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Iraq calls on Turkey for quick withdrawal of troops

BAGHDAD, Feb 24, 2008 (AFP) - Iraq on Sunday urged Turkey to withdraw its troops from the country's northern Kurdish region "as soon as possible," saying that Ankara's military operation was a "threat" to Iraq's sovereignty.

Iraq urges Turkey "to withdraw its forces from Iraqi soil as soon possible," a statement issued by the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said.

It said the "Turkish military operation is a threat to Iraqi sovereignty."

"The government of Iraq calls Turkey to respect its sovereignty and unity and considers that the unilateral operation across the border is a threat to the region," the statement added.

It said Baghdad was also urging Turkey for a "bilateral dialogue with the Iraqi government and considers that the threat represented by the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) is a threat to Turkey and all of the border regions."

It said Iraq felt that Ankara's conflict with the rebels cannot be solved by military means alone, but understood Turkey's "legitimate security concerns and will not allow its soil to be used for operations against Turkey."

The Baghdad government's latest comments come just hours after its spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told AFP that the current military offensive by Ankara in northern Iraq did not amount to an attack on Iraqi sovereignty.

"We do not find these operations as an attack on Iraq's sovereignty," Dabbagh said.

"We do know there is a threat to Turkey from the terrorist group PKK. We do not have control... neither Turkey has control. But we have told Turkey that the operation should not destabilise Iraq and the region," Dabbagh said.

On Thursday Turkish armed forces launched a new air and ground offensive in northern Iraq's Kurdish regions, targeting rebels of the PKK.