By BUSHRA JUHI
Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Turkey has massed 140,000 soldiers on its border with
northern Iraq, Iraq's foreign minister said Monday, calling the
neighboring country's fears of Kurdish rebels based there "legitimate"
but better resolved through negotiation.

In Washington, a Pentagon official disputed the claim by Foreign
Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd from northern Iraq, and said satellite
photos indicated no such troop buildup. A State Department spokesman
also played down the allegation.

It was unclear where Zebari got the figures. If accurate, Turkey would
have nearly as many soldiers along its border with Iraq as the 155,000
troops which the U.S. has in the country.

Zebari's comments came amid calls by Turkey's military for the
government to give it the green light to carry out military operations
in northern Iraqi against the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.

"Turkey is building up forces on the border. There are 140,000 soldiers
fully armed on the border. We are against any military interference or
violation of Iraqi sovereignty," Zebari said in Baghdad.

Turkey has been pressuring the United States and Iraq to eliminate PKK
bases in Kurdish-controlled parts of northern Iraq and has said it will
carry out a cross-border offensive if necessary.

"Turkey's fears are legitimate but such things can be discussed," Zebari
said. "The perfect solution is the withdrawal of the Turkish forces from
the borders."

He added: "No one wants a new military conflict in the region."

He said there had been no "Turkey military violation until now," citing
artillery shelling and Turkish surveillance overflights.

But in Washington, a Pentagon official disputed Zebari's assertion that
troops were massing, saying no such movement has been picked up by U.S.
satellites gathering intelligence there. The official spoke on condition
of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak on the record about the
subject.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said he would "steer you away
from that number of troops being immediately along the border," and
Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman repeated U.S. hopes that
Turkey would not launch an incursion into Iraq.

"With respect to Turkey and the border region, they have legitimate
concerns about terrorist activity of the PKK," Whitman told Pentagon
reporters Monday. "But we're also encouraging them that an incursion
into Iraq is not the way to solve this."

Turkey has long complained of U.S. inaction against separatist rebels,
who have escalated attacks inside Turkey in recent months. Last week,
Turkey's military chief asked the government to set political guidelines
for an incursion into northern Iraq.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on Friday confirmed that detailed
incursion plans were ready.

Zebari said that his government cannot send its troops to secure the
border with Turkey at a time when U.S. and Iraqi forces are fighting a
deadly insurgency that has killed thousands of people.

"Our military forces are over-occupied with securing the streets and we
do not have forces enough to open a new front. We do not want any
conflict. However, no military violation has taken place till now,"
Zebari said.

Turkey has been battling separatist Kurdish rebels since 1984 in a
conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. There has been a
recent surge in rebel attacks, and 67 soldiers have been killed this
year. More than 110 rebels were killed in the same period, according to
the Turkish military.

Zebari said the best way is to address Turkey's "legitimate security
concerns" and revive the security and military commission which is made
up of the united states, Iraq and Turkey.

---

Associated Press writer Pauline Jelinek contributed to this report from
Washington.