The US government has called on Iraq's neighbours to respect the country's territorial sovereignty, with Turkey massing troops along its border with northern Iraq. General Bekir Kalyoncu, a Turkish military officer, said on Tuesday that Ankara reserved the right to enter Iraqi territory to pursue separatist Kurdish rebels based there. "If the conditions arise, Turkey will use its rights as any sovereign country," he said.
Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, urged Turkey in late April to refrain from unilateral action against Iraq-based Kurdish separatists, calling instead for renewed trilateral co-operation to fight the threat. |