Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on Thursday defended the recent Turkish military build-up near the border with northern Iraq as a routine step to prevent infiltration of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) into Turkey, semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

"What is taking place along the border with northern Iraq is something we do every spring," Gul was quoted as saying before heading to Bulgaria for an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

"What is being done aims to prevent infiltration of terrorists into Turkey. If they (Iraqis) can not deal with terrorists, they should be happy about our steps against terrorists," he added.

The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey, could be a threat to Iraq in the future, Gul warned, adding "Our fight against terrorists actually helps Iraq."

Gul made the statements amid a background of stepped-up Turkish army deployment along the border area as reports speculated that the army was preparing for a cross-border operation to eliminate PKK bases in the mountains in northern Iraq.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has expressed concerns over the Turkish military build-up near the Iraqi border, saying "Iraq is a sovereign independent nation that won't let other nations interfere in its internal affairs."

In response, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the military measures were necessary to ensure the safety of Turkey's border with Iraq and that the deployment was just a routine step to stop PKK infiltration.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who paid a two-day visit to Turkey this week, suggested that a trilateral mechanism involving Turkey, the United States and Iraq deal with the problem of the PKK presence in northern Iraq.

Turkish authorities have been battling an armed campaign by the PKK in the mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984 as more than 30,000 people have been killed in the clashes between the two sides.

Violence has increased after the PKK ended a six-year unilateral ceasefire in June 2004.

Source: Xinhua