(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-03 17:29

"Iraq is ready to take joint measures ... in order to isolate and stop the threat of the PKK within the capacity of Iraq," al-Dabbagh said. He said al-Maliki will suggest some new approaches during Saturday's international meeting.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan sounded impatient following a meeting with Rice in Ankara, and he offered no public promise of the restraint Washington seeks.

"We have great expectations from the United States," Babacan said. "We are at the point where words have been exhausted and where there is need for action."

Many Turks are furious with the United States for its perceived failure to pressure Iraq into cracking down on the PKK. Street protests have urged the government to send forces across the border even if it means deepening the rift with the US, a NATO ally.

Turkey's military chief has said the country will wait until after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with President Bush next week in Washington to make a final decision about an assault.

Washington worries a Turkish incursion would bring instability to what has been the calmest part of Iraq, and could set a precedent for other countries, like Iran, that also have conflicts with Kurdish rebels.

"We all need to redouble our efforts and the United States is committed to redoubling our efforts," Rice said in Ankara. "No one should doubt the commitment of the United States in this situation."

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