Turkey okays Iraq incursion
Updated on 17 October 2007
Turkey has voted to grant its troops freedom to enter northern Iraq and crush Kurdish separatists
Iraqi leaders have stepped up their diplomatic efforts to avoid any confrontation, as has the US - Turkey's Nato ally.
Washington fiercely opposes military intervention in Iraq's most stable region, not least because it could trigger involvement by Iran.
The stance by Turkey - which is hoping to join the EU - has hit the country's lira currency, and helped drive global oil prices to a record $88 a barrel.
Although Erdogan has moved to play down expectation of an imminent attack, the parliamentary vote today means Turkey can hit back at Kurdish rebels.
'We need full cooperation and support from the countries in the region'UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is said to have phoned his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan to reiterate his commitment to stopping Kurdish rebels from using Iraq as a launchpad for attacks. Iraq is also expected to send a delegation to Turkey.
PKK guerrillas camped in the mountainous region have launched a series of deadly attacks on Turkish troops. So far, US and Iraqi forces have failed to combat the growing problem, despite protests from Turkey over a number of years.
Public opinion, opposition parties and the influential military have now put pressure on the government to hit camps and neutralise the threat.
But there are serious fears that an attack could destablise the region and invite the attention of neighbouring states.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said during an official visit to Ankara that he backed Turkey's fight against terrorism.
Under Turkish law, parliament must approve the deployment of troops abroad."Passage of this motion does not mean an immediate incursion will follow, but we will act at the right time and under the right conditions," Erdogan said yesteray.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for restraint, saying "we need full cooperation and support from the countries in the region". Turkey is due to host a conference on Iraq next month.
Some experts believe Turkey could choose to stage small forays into the region, together with air attacks, rather than an all-out incursion.
