Bitter dispute with the PKK Jalal Talabani, who heads the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, has been holding talks with Turkish Foreign Ministry officials in Ankara. He will meet the Prime Minister, Bulent Ecevit, on Wednesday.
Alliances shift constantly in the turbulent world of Kurdish politics.
Heavy fighting Jalal Talabani said about 8,000 PKK fighters are in northern Iraq and he made it clear that their presence is not welcome. He said he had not come to Ankara to ask for military assistance. Other Kurdish sources, however, say several hundred Turkish soldiers are already in the territory which Mr Talabani's faction controls. For now, the region is reported to be quiet but over the last few months fighting between the rival Kurdish groups has caused hundreds of casualties. The PKK has been trying to expand its operations in northern Iraq after withdrawing most of its forces from Turkey and declaring a ceasefire there.