Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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October 11, 2007

White House Wants Turkey to Stay Out of Northern Iraq
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=19D2C95:A6F02AD83191E160E25E4A1E155E2E4B9574F7DCC14957C0 Turkish PM Erdogan
under domestic pressure to act against rebels from Kurdistan Workers'
Party whose attacks have killed 15 Turkish soldiers since Sunday
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his government will
submit to parliament plans for a possible military operation against
Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. VOA White House Correspondent Scott
Stearns reports, the Bush administration says cross-border security
concerns can be better addressed by working with the government in
Baghdad.







Turkish students chant slogans in front of Istanbul University during
a demonstration to protest recent attacks by Kurdish rebels, 9 Oct
2007Prime Minister Erdogan is under domestic pressure to act against
rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party whose attacks have killed 15
Turkish soldiers since Sunday.

With some PKK rebels based in northern Iraq, the Ankara government
plans to ask parliament for authority to move against them.

Some Turkish lawmakers say they are following the example of President
Bush, who often says U.S. troops are fighting terrorists inside Iraq
so they do not have to fight them at home.

While the United States considers the PKK a terrorist group, White
House spokeswoman Dana Perino says the president does not support
unilateral Turkish military action in Iraq.

"We have said that we want to work with the Turkish government and the
Iraqi government to eradicate the terrorist problem there in northern
Iraq," she said.  "We do not think that it would be the best place for
troops to go into Iraq from Turkey at this time. We think that we can
handle this situation without that being necessary."

The U.S. State Department says PKK violence not only threatens Turkey,
but undermines the security and welfare of Iraq as well.







Robert Gates (file photo)Turkey is a crucial ally in America's fight
against terrorism. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the U.S.
military is heavily dependent on the NATO ally when it comes to
re-supplying more than 100,000 American troops in Iraq.

"About 70 percent of all air cargo going into Iraq goes through
Turkey," he said.  "About one-third of the fuel that they consume goes
through Turkey or comes from Turkey."

Turkish forces launched a major offensive against the PKK this week in
a southeastern province near the Iraqi border. Ankara holds the PKK
responsible for the deaths of 30,000 people since 1984 when the group
began fighting for a Kurdish homeland in southeast Turkey.


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