Turkey, U.S. Discuss Combatting Kurdish Rebels In Iraq

But the two sides mentioned neither a timetable nor what concrete steps would be taken. A Turkish general staff statement said talks between General James Jones, head of U.S. land forces in Europe, and Turkish armed forces chief General Hilmi Ozkok, "underlined the need for joint determination and cooperation in the fight against" the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Jones told reporters afterward that discussions focused on military cooperation. Jones, however, cautioned Turkey not to stage a cross-border offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq.

Jones stressed that "the situation in Iraq is one that now involves a sovereign government in Iraq."

(AFP/AP)