Turks march against PKK violence after army call

ISTANBUL, June 23 (Reuters) Thousands of Turks marched silently through Istanbul today to protest against Kurdish guerrilla attacks after a call by the army for a public show of opposition to separatist violence.

Protesters marched in temperatures of around 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), waved Turkish flags and carried posters with the pictures and names of soldiers killed fighting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

''No to terror'' and ''We are all martyrs for this country'' read their placards. Police and organisers did not give figures but reporters estimated the crowd at around 2,000.

Attacks by the PKK, which has been fighting for a Kurdish homeland since 1984, have increased in recent months and dozens of soldiers have been killed.

Army figures today showed guerrillas carried out 76 attacks with mines or other explosives in the past six months.

A deadly suicide bomb attack in a shopping centre in Ankara last month was also blamed on Kurdish separatists.

Turkey's popular and powerful army has called for an incursion into northern Iraq to fight militants based there.

In a statement earlier this month, it vowed to respond to militant attacks as necessary and urged Turks to show a mass response to the violence.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who faces an election next month, has said he agrees with the army over northern Iraq and a cross-border operation could be launched if necessary. But he has not reconvened parliament to approve an operation.

Erdogan was quoted as saying today that Ankara was waiting for a response from the United States which has said it opposes any operation in relatively stable northern Iraq.

''We are waiting for a response from Washington. After that I will call President (George W.) Bush. After that, according to the result, we will decide on what steps must be taken and take action,'' he was quoted as saying by Vatan newspaper.

Reuters AK GC1615