BAGHDAD, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Kurdish anti-war demonstrators took to streets in a town in Iraq's northern province of Duhuk on Saturday to protest the Turkish parliament's approval of a motion backing military incursion into Iraq to pursue the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) rebels.

    "Thousands of people staged a massive demonstration in the streets of Zakhu town, rejecting the expected Turkish military's intervention inside Iraq," Yasir al-Hamdani, a local journalist told Xinhua.

Thousands of Kurds and supporters take to the streets in Dahuk, a Kurdish city near the border with Turkey, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007, to protest the Turkish parliament's approval of a motion backing military incursion into Iraq to pursue the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) rebels. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    On Thursday, a massive demonstration was held by hundreds of angry Kurdish people in Arbil, Duhuk and some other Kurdish cities, holding banners rejecting the Turkish threats and calling for peaceful solutions.

    However, the two demonstrations came as the Turkish parliament gave on Wednesday its nod to a motion submitted by the Turkish government for military incursion into neighboring Iraq to target the PKK rebels based in Iraqi territories.

    The passage of the motion paved way for the possible Turkish military actions in northern Iraq during the next one year period.

    In another development, The Iraqi President Jalal al-Talabani lashed out, in a statement issued Saturday by his office, at his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Asad for recent statements in which he announced his public support for Turkish military interference in northern Iraq.

Iraqi Kurds wave their regional flag during a demonstration against the Turkish military threat in the oil rich city of Kirkuk, 255 kms north of Baghdad. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    "I heard and saw al-Asad statements. I think they are very dangerous and contrasted with the spirit of Arab solidarity," al-Talabani said, adding it is better for Asad to adopt a political solution despite his understanding of Turkey's stance.

    The Syrian president said during a visit to Turkey last week that he backs Turkish military operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party's (PKK) fighters inside Iraqi territories.

    In an earlier statement which was issued by the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in which al-Maliki said that, his government "will not accept the military solutions to be the way of dealing with issues between the two countries even though we realize and understand the concerns of our Turkish friends.

    The statement added that al-Maliki is keen to prevent PKK militants' attacks against Turkey by activating bilateral agreements and finding new horizons for security cooperation that may serve stability.

    Turkish parliament approves motion for cross-border operation into Iraq

Turkish parliament on Wednesday approved the motion submitted by the government for cross-border military operations in fight against the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    ANKARA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Turkish parliament on Wednesday approved the motion submitted by the government for cross-border military operations in fight against the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).

    Turkish parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan announced after the voting that the parliament passed the motion by 507 votes to 19.

    Bush urges Turkey not to launch incursion into Iraq

U.S. President George W. Bush urged on Wednesday Turkey not to take cross-border military action against the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush urged on Wednesday Turkey not to take cross-border military action against the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq.

    "We are making it very clear to Turkey that we don't think it is in their interests to send troops into Iraq. Actually, they have troops already stationed in Iraq ... We don't think it's in their interests to send more troops in," Bush told a White House news conference.

    Iraqi regional Kurdish gov't says ready to fight if attacked

    BAGHDAD, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's regional Kurdish government said on Friday that the Kurds are ready to defend their autonomous region if it were attacked under any pretext.

    "We frankly say to all parties that if the region or the Kurdistan experiment come under attack under any pretext, we will completely be ready to defend our democratic experiment, our people's dignity and the sanctity of our homeland," Kurdish regional President Massoud al-Barzani said in a statement.