The United States said on Wednesday that Turkey has the right to defend itself against mounting violence by Kurdish rebels, a day after Ankara accused Washington of applying double standards to the region. But Washington repeated US opposition to unilateral Turkish action in neighbouring northern Iraq against bases belonging to the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). PKK militants are blamed for the deaths of 15 members of the security forces in southeast Turkey last week."Turkey, like every country, has a right and an obligation to defend itself and its people," the US said in a statement issued by its embassy in Ankara. It followed harsh remarks on Tuesday by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said that US support for Israeli offensives against militants in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip while it opposed Turkish action in Kurdish-populated northern Iraq constituted double standards.
Like Ankara, Washington considers the PKK a "terrorist" organisation and has pledged support for Turkish efforts to combat the Kurdish separatist group. "Terrorism is terrorism everywhere," Erdogan said. "It is not possible to agree with a mentality that tolerates country A and displays a different attitude when it comes to country B."