Turkey denies report of joint Iraqi operation

ANKARA, Oct 17 (Reuters) Iraq's prime minister has not proposed a joint Iraqi-Turkish military operation against Kurdish separatist rebels hiding in northern Iraq, an official at the Turkish prime minister's office said today.

Earlier Turkish CNN Television quoted Nuri al-Maliki as offering his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan the possibility of a joint operation against rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) during a telephone conversation.

''Let's work together on what is needed,'' the Turkish official, who declined to be named, quoted Maliki as telling Erdogan.

Turkey's parliament is expected today to approve cross-border military operations into northern Iraq to crush the rebels, who use the mountainous region as a base.

Reuters PD GC1925