ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkey moved closer to opening a new front in the Iraq war Monday, with the government asking parliament to approve a cross-border offensive against Kurdish rebels.
Parliament was widely expected to authorize the Cabinet’s motion seeking authorization for a military campaign in northern Iraq, and NTV television said a vote would happen Wednesday.
But government spokesman Cemil Cicek indicated the government would not immediately order its troops across the border, possibly to see if the United States and Iraq attempt to crack down on the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party. The U.S. has urged Turkey not to enter Iraq.
Cicek insisted the only target was the separatist rebel group, apparently aiming to reassure Iraq’s government in Baghdad and the Iraqi Kurds, who run their own administration in northern Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he was prepared to hold urgent talks with Turkish leaders to try to defuse the potential crisis.
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