(AKI) - While Turkish forces continue to attack Kurdish positions in northern Iraq, separatists have revealed that eight Turkish soldiers captured by rebels over a week ago are in 'good health'. A source from the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the soldiers, seized in an ambush that left 12 Turkish soldiers dead, were all well. It was one of several recent attacks that provoked a fierce reaction in Turkey and led the parliament to approve a motion allowing the army to conduct cross border military attacks on Kurdish militants. "The prisoners are enjoying good health and in good spirits," the source told AKI. "They have sent letters to their families and the Turkish government to calm themselves and to express their surprise at the excellent treatment they are receiving from elements of the PKK."
The source, from the Qindil mountains in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, said: "The PKK leadership have told the eight prisoners that their lives were not under threat, they were guests of the party and no conditions would be imposed on their release, which would happen soon. He called on the International Red Cross to visit the prisoners "to confirm their condition and how much we are caring for them".
Meanwhile the Iraqi president Jalal Talabani and the regional president of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, Massoud Barzani, were continuing joint efforts to free the prisoners.
A delegation from the parties of Kurdistan's advisory council has cancelled a meeting to discuss the border crisis. Qadir Aziz, a member of the council, led by Barzani, told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the atmosphere was not appropriate for a visit but they plan to join countries in the region for reconciliation talks to be held in Istanbul on Friday. Barzani has also expressed regret about what he considers Ankara's unwillingness to discuss the issue. He told Turkish media he wanted a peaceful resolution of the crisis.
Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the US on Tuesday that future relations between the two countries would depend on 'urgent' action against Kurdish fighters. Erdogan is due to meet US president George Bush in Washington on Monday for talks to resolve the border crisis.
The Kurdistan Liberation Party has warned that any Turkish invasion of Kurdistan would have repercussions for Europe where there are many Turkish and Kurdish communities. Abdallah Nazanini, spokesman for the Leftist party, said: "The Kurdish community in Europe would not sit idle if Kurdistan was attacked and would express its opposition through protests and other methods."