Turkey's president called on the United States to engage more fully in his country's fight against Kurdish rebels in North Iraq.

US President George W Bush faces crisis talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he vies to dissuade his "war on terror" ally from an incursion into Iraq to hunt down Kurdish rebels.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki has promised to take urgent measures against Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq, including shutting down their offices.

The jailed leader of the Kurdish rebel group PKK wants to address the Turkish government to end years of fighting.

The Turkish prime minister said Friday Ankara might not go ahead with a cross-border operation against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq after all.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said fighting Kurdish militants in northern Iraq would demand persistence and commitment but vowed to redouble US efforts to help Turkey tackle the problem.

Turkey has announced a blitz of sanctions targeting Kurdish PKK rebels in a move expected to affect members of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish administration.

The Turkish Army has killed 35 Kurdish militants in an ongoing operation in the southeast of the country near the Iraqi border, local media said Wednesday.

Turkish helicopters attacked Kurdish rebel targets near Iraq border. Three Turkish and six rebel soldiers were killed.

Turkey expects urgent action from the United States to destroy Kurdish insurgent bases in north Iraq, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

Turkey has suspended ratification of a bilateral anti-terrorism cooperation agreement with Iraq following the recent crisis over the presence of Kurdish militants on Iraqi territory, a Turkish newspaper reported Monday.

Turkey's foreign minister says Ankara is keeping all options open in its fight against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, including diplomacy and military force.