July 22, 2002	Monday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 11,1423

ANKARA, July 21: Turkey is keen to avoid a possible attack by the United States on Iraq, fearing economic repercussions and the possibility that a Kurdish state would be established in northern Iraq, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said on Sunday.

In an interview on state television, the ailing prime minister said he perceived US officials were hardening their attitude by repeatedly stressing the need to remove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein by military force.

“A military operation is not necessarily correct and may not lead to a positive result in the short term,” said Ecevit, adding that Turkey had suggested “other means” to stem the threat posed by neighbouring Iraq.

Ecevit also warned that Iraq’s military was far superior to that of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and, noting that the US is a friend of Turkey, he said, “It is our duty to tell President Bush and his officials about all of our worries.”

On the issue of the potential of an independent Kurdistan being declared in northern Iraq, Ecevit was clear. “There is already a defacto state in the area. It is out of the question for this to develop further.”

The US has stated it does not support an independent Kurdistan, a position repeated last week by Wolfowitz during a trip to Turkey.—dpa