ANKARA - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "the sole target of cross-border operations --launched by Turkish Armed Forces (TSK)-- is the terrorist organization hide-outs in the north of Iraq."
"We have never been on a negative posture against Iraqi people and we will not be," he added.
Erdogan also said that he talked with U.S. President George W. Bush as well as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki regarding the operation.
"TSK will rapidly return (to Turkey) as soon as it reaches its aims. I wish this operation yield positive results both for Turkey, Iraqi people and the regional peace," Erdogan noted.
Erdogan said that the target, scope, limits and aims of this operation are obvious.
Noting that a new stage has started in the struggle to isolate terrorist organization (which attacks on Turkey's unity and integrity), Erdogan said they are exerting great efforts to fully isolate terrorist organization as well as to cut its social, logistic, financial and psychological support.
Erdogan indicated that Turkey is one of the leading countries which support Iraq's territorial integrity, national unity, peace and stability.
(GC-ULG