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US 'to help Turkey combat rebels' | US 'to help Turkey combat rebels' |
(40 minutes later) | |
US President George W Bush has promised extra help to tackle Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, following talks with Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan. | US President George W Bush has promised extra help to tackle Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, following talks with Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan. |
Mr Bush offered to share intelligence with Turkey and declared the PKK rebel organisation "an enemy of Turkey, a free Iraq and the United States". | Mr Bush offered to share intelligence with Turkey and declared the PKK rebel organisation "an enemy of Turkey, a free Iraq and the United States". |
Turkey has threatened to hit bases used by the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) unless the US and Iraq do more to help. | Turkey has threatened to hit bases used by the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) unless the US and Iraq do more to help. |
Washington has urged Ankara not to launch cross-border strikes into Iraq. | Washington has urged Ankara not to launch cross-border strikes into Iraq. |
US officials fear such action could destabilise northern Iraq, up to now the most stable region of the country. | US officials fear such action could destabilise northern Iraq, up to now the most stable region of the country. |
Kurdish protests | Kurdish protests |
The Turkish government is under public pressure to use force against the PKK following a series of deadly attacks in Turkey, and has sent thousands of troops to the Iraqi border. | |
We have run out of patience with the terrorist attacks being staged from northern Iraq Recep Tayyip ErdoganTurkish Prime Minister Border politics | We have run out of patience with the terrorist attacks being staged from northern Iraq Recep Tayyip ErdoganTurkish Prime Minister Border politics |
Speaking in Washington at a joint news conference with Mr Erdogan, Mr Bush pledged to strengthen political and military cooperation and to improve intelligence sharing between the US, Turkey and Iraq. | Speaking in Washington at a joint news conference with Mr Erdogan, Mr Bush pledged to strengthen political and military cooperation and to improve intelligence sharing between the US, Turkey and Iraq. |
"I made it very clear to the prime minister that we want to work in a close way to deal with this problem," Mr Bush said. | |
"We talked about the need to have better intelligence sharing. | |
"In order to chase down people who murder people, you need good intelligence. We talked about the need for our militaries to stay in constant contact." | |
Mr Erdogan said Ankara saw it as very important that there was a unified approach to tackling the PKK rebels. | |
Kurdish demonstrators protested outside the White House | Kurdish demonstrators protested outside the White House |
"As strategic partners we are fighting jointly against terrorism in the world," he said. | |
He warned that the stability of the whole region would be affected by what happened in northern Iraq. | |
Before leaving for Washington, Mr Erdogan said the meeting came at a critical time for US-Turkish relations and expressed hope that the talks would produce "concrete measures". | |
Kurdish protesters demonstrated outside the White House on Monday, voicing their opposition to any violent action by Turkey. | Kurdish protesters demonstrated outside the White House on Monday, voicing their opposition to any violent action by Turkey. |
The Kurdish rebels have intensified their campaign during the past month, killing at least 40 people, military and civilians, in Turkey. | The Kurdish rebels have intensified their campaign during the past month, killing at least 40 people, military and civilians, in Turkey. |
The PKK has waged a violent campaign for a Kurdish homeland since 1984, resulting in more than 30,000 deaths. | The PKK has waged a violent campaign for a Kurdish homeland since 1984, resulting in more than 30,000 deaths. |