WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday that the U.S. continued to express absolute solidarity with Turkey over the fight against the terrorist organization PKK, however, adding that stability and progress for Iraq is in the interest of Turkey.
Asked whether the U.S. was concerned about the Turkish military's ground operation in Iraq's north Rice said "we have been in contact with the Turkish Government at several levels and we continue to express our absolute solidarity with Turkey about the PKK. This is a common enemy of the United States and Turkey. It is also an enemy of the Iraqi people and the Iraqi Government, because the Iraqi territory cannot be used for terror -- should not be used for terrorist attacks against Turkey."
"We have also been very clear, though, that stability and progress for Iraq is in the interest of Turkey. And so everyone should keep in mind that nothing should be done to destabilize what is a fragile but improving situation in Iraq," she said.
Rice also stated that the operation should be of the shortest duration possible.
"It's got to keep in mind that while the terrorists need, obviously, to be stopped from doing what they're doing, that there really can't be a destabilization of that region. We have encouraged contacts between the Iraqi Government and the Turkish Government and I think those have been facilitated by us and they'll continue to be facilitated by us," Rice said.