"Turkey eyes Iraq poll with concern
By Jonathan Gorvett
Saturday 29 January 2005, 0:32 Makka Time, 21:32 GMT
Turkey's leaders have been voicing fears this week that Sunday's Iraqi elections may have dire consequences for stability across their southern border.
The deputy chief of staff of the country's powerful military, General Ilker Basbug, said on Wednesday that developments could threaten the territorial and political integrity of Iraq and would pose an important security problem for Turkey.
In 2003, after the US-led invasion of Iraq, Turkey had threatened to send its troops into the north of the country if it fell under the control of Kurdish forces. It only backed down after Washington applied strong pressure."
More:Aljazeera.Net - Turkey eyes Iraq poll with concern