US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has urged
Turkey to keep its military campaign against Kurdish
militants in northern Iraq as short as possible.
"The shorter the better," he said, adding that
Ankara should attempt to reconcile with its Kurdish
minority.
Turkish troops began an offensive against the
Kurdistan
Iraq has said the Turkish incursion
could destabilise the region
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Workers' Party, the PKK, on Thursday.
The PKK says it has shot down a Turkish Cobra
attack helicopter during clashes in the area.
Ahmed Danees, head of foreign relations for the
PKK, made the claim - which has not been
independently verified.
"At 6pm (1500 GMT) yesterday, our fighters shot
down a Cobra helicopter," he told Reuters news
agency.
He added that this had happened in the remote
Chamsku area, close to the border.
Grievances
Speaking at the end of a visit to Australia, Mr
Gates said military strikes by Turkey would not be
enough on their own to end the long-running dispute
with Kurdish rebels.
Gates urged Turkey to respect Iraq's
sovereignty
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He said Ankara should employ
political and economic measures to isolate the PKK
and erode its support base.
He said America's experiences in Iraq and
Afghanistan showed that military muscle should be
complemented by efforts to address grievances held
by minority groups.
"These economic and political measures are really
important because after a certain point people
become inured to military attacks," he said.
"And if you don't blend them with these kinds of
non-military initiatives then at a certain point the
military efforts become less and less effective."
Mr Gates also urged Turkey to respect Iraq's
sovereignty.
The American defence secretary will deliver his
advice in person when he travels to Ankara next
week.
'Terrorist group'
The Turkish authorities launched the cross-border
attack after accusing the Iraqi government of
failing to stop members of the PKK from using the
area as a safe haven.
Iraq's foreign minister has warned that any
escalation of Turkey's operation against Kurdish
rebels in northern Iraq could destabilise the
region.
More than 30,000 people have been killed since
the PKK began fighting for a Kurdish homeland in
south-eastern Turkey in 1984.
The US, the EU and Turkey consider the PKK to be
a terrorist organisation.
