ROSTOCK - The White House denied reports Wednesday that Turkish troops had launched a cross-border raid to strike Kurdish terrorist bases in Iraq's northern highlands.
Responding to reports of such an incursion, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said: "I am here to say that the Turkish government and US officials on the ground say that it is not occurring."
Johndroe was speaking in the northeast German city of Rostock, not far from Heiligendamm, where US President George W. Bush was attending a summit of Group of Eight leaders.
"There's been no new activity" on the part of the Turkish military, aside from increasing its presence near the border, Johndroe said.
The US administration was concerned about possible Turkish intervention against Kurdish rebels in the north of Iraq, fearing the possible consequences not only for Iraq, but for the entire region, he said.
The US remained "concerned about the PKK (the Kurdistan Workers' Party) and their use of northern Iraq as a safe haven and we will continue to work with both the Turkish and Iraqi governments to deal with that threat," Johndroe said.
Since April, Turkey has been conducting large-scale operations against the PKK, including in areas close to the Iraqi border.
The Turkish media have reported that thousands of troops, backed by heavy armour and air power, are involved in the operation, triggering speculation that the army is poised to pour into northern Iraq.
06/06/2007 19:13 GMT