( Reuters ) - Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Thursday Turkey was determined to take the necessary steps to end the threat from Kurdish guerrillas based in northern Iraq.
Gul said Turkey was running out of patience and would not tolerate Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) attacks from northern Iraq.
"We are totally determined to take all necessary steps to end this threat," Gul told a conference in the Turkish capital.
"Although we respect the territorial integrity and unity of Iraq, Turkey is running out of patience and will not tolerate the use of Iraqi soil for the purpose of terrorist activities."
Turkey's parliament has authorised the military to carry out a major cross-border incursion to crush the militants after a surge in guerrilla attacks on Turkish soil. But Ankara has said it wants to give diplomacy a chance first.
Washington and Baghdad fear a major Turkish military operation in northern Iraq could destabilise the most peaceful part of Iraq and the wider region.