MOSCOW, Oct 13: Acknowledging ‘a difficult time’ in relations with Turkey, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Saturday appealed to the US ally for restraint against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq and in reaction to a genocide resolution in the United States Congress.

The Bush administration sent two high-ranking officials to Turkey for talks on Saturday with government leaders. Eric Edelman is Undersecretary of Defence for Policy and was US ambassador to Turkey from July 2003 to June 2005. Dan Fried is Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs.

“It’s a difficult time for the relationship,” Ms Rice told reporters during her trip to Russia. “We just thought it was a very good idea for two senior officials to go and talk to the Turks and reassure them that we really value this relationship.”

US officials said on Friday that there are about 60,000 Turkish troops along the country’s southern border with Iraq. The US military had not seen activity to suggest an imminent offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

But Turkey’s parliament was expected to approve a government request to authorise an Iraq campaign as early as next week. The US opposes a possible Turkish incursion into northern Iraq, which is one of the country’s few relatively stable areas, and has urged a diplomatic solution between Iraq and Turkey to the problem.

US military officials have said they believe they will get some warning if the Turks attack the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The preparations come amid concern by the US about what effect the genocide resolution passed by a US House committee during the past week could have on supply routes the American military has used to move armoured vehicles to troops in Iraq. At issue in the measure is the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

Ms Rice said she spoke on Friday by telephone with Turkey’s president, prime minister and foreign minister about the resolution. —AP