Turkey moves to check Kurds

Turkey moves to check Kurds

Turkey is worried that oil could make a Kurdish state viable

Turkey is sending military observers to the Iraqi city of Kirkuk following the occupation of the city centre by US-backed Kurdish forces, Turkey's foreign minister has said.

Abdullah Gul said he had accepted an offer from US Secretary of State Colin Powell to allow in observers to make sure Kurdish fighters withdrew from the city.

He added that Mr Powell had assured him the Kurds would not retain control and that extra US troops would arrive there soon.

We will not allow any fait-accompli

Abdullah Gul

Ankara fears the creation of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq which could encourage separatist aspirations among its own Kurdish population.

The BBC's Jonny Dymond in Istanbul says Turkey's rhetoric is calm but the military and political temperature is rising.

He says what worries Turkey is the oil that lies all around Kirkuk, which would make a Kurdish state economically viable.

Turkey has long threatened to intervene militarily if Kurds make any moves towards independence.

But following intense international pressure and clear guarantees from the US, it has agreed to act in co-operation with coalition forces.

Prepared to help

Mr Gul said Turkey would not tolerate a long-term Kurdish presence in the city.

"We will not permit either armed people or those without arms, who could try to destroy the demography and the structure of these towns," he said.

"We will not allow any fait-accompli."

Both Iraqi Kurds and Turkmen - an ethnic group backed by Turkey - have laid claim to Kirkuk.

The Kurds say they were in a majority there before Arabs moved in under Saddam Hussein.

Mr Gul added that Turkey was prepared to assist the US in the occupation.

"We have reminded them of their guarantee," Mr Gul said of the US.

"We have told them we are willing to contribute if they haven't got enough forces. They have said that they are sending new forces within a few hours and that Kurds will be withdrawn."