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Turkey Ready For Break With U.S.

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The Washington Post

Published: October 13, 2007

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that he is prepared for a rupture in relations with the United States if his government launches an incursion into northern Iraq in search of Kurdish rebels.

'If such an option is chosen, whatever its price, it will be paid,' Erdogan said Friday after meeting with party leaders. 'There could be pros and cons of such a decision, but what is important is our country's interests.'

Erdogan criticized the United States for warning against a Turkish attack in one of the few relatively stable regions of Iraq.

'Did they seek permission from anyone when they came from a distance of 10,000 kilometers and hit Iraq?' Erdogan asked. 'We do not need anyone else's advice.'

The Kurdish guerrillas issued a statement Friday saying their fighters were preparing to carry out attacks against Turkey's main political parties in response to Erdogan's warnings of a possible military incursion in northern Iraq.

The statement, carried by the pro-Kurdish Firat news agency, quoted Bahoz Erdal, a senior rebel commander, saying fighters were moving deeper into Turkey and taking new 'positions.'

Turkey has complained that since the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Kurdish guerrilla leaders have operated freely in the Kurdish northern region. Turkish officials have criticized the United States and Iraq for not taking action against the separatists.

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