U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he will tell Turkish leaders that Turkey must conclude its military operation in northern Iraq within the next two weeks.
Gates is due in Ankara Wednesday, almost one week after Turkish ground troops launched a military incursion into northern Iraq to battle rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party (or PKK).
The U.S. defense chief - on a visit to New Delhi, India - told reporters that he would reiterate Washington's position that the military operation end as quickly as possible.
And a senior Turkish envoy, Ahmet Davutoglu, is in the Iraqi capital Wednesday to discuss the incursion with Iraqi government officials.
The Iraqi government has denounced Turkey's military operation in the north, and it has called on Turkey to immediately withdraw its troops.
Ali al-Dabbagh, a spokesman for the Iraqi Cabinet on Tuesday said the military action violates Iraqi sovereignty.
But Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended his country's military offensive, calling it a "rightful struggle."
The Kurdistan regional parliament on Tuesday demanded the closure of Turkish bases in the area, including sites opened during Iraq's previous regime.
The PKK has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984. That violence has killed more than 30,000 people.
Gates said he will also tell Turkish officials that they need to pursue a comprehensive approach, including non-military initiatives, if they want to resolve long-standing issues with Kurdish rebels.
