ARBIL, Iraq, June 2 (Reuters) - Iraq's prime minister urged Turkey on Saturday not to send its troops into northern Iraq to crush Kurdish rebels based there. Troop movements on Turkey's southeastern border have prompted speculation of a possible incursion into Iraq's largely autonomous northern Kurdistan region. "If there are problems, then we shouldn't resort to threats, force and weapons because this worsens the problems," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said at a news conference with Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani in Arbil, capital of Kurdistan. "We don't want to harm neighbouring countries, but we also don't want neighbouring countries to interfere with military raids," he said. Last week, Turkey moved tanks near the Iraqi border after bomb attacks killed 12 Turks, including six soldiers. Ankara swiftly blamed the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) for the bombings but said its troop movement was routine. The PKK has waged an armed campaign since 1984 for an independent Kurdish homeland in Turkey's east and southeast. Ankara blames it for the deaths of more than 30,000 people. PKK guerrillas are holed up in the mountains of northern Iraq, which they use as a springboard to carry out attacks on military and civilian targets inside Turkish territory. Speculation about military intervention has grown since Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said he saw eye to eye with the army over the need for possible military action. Barzani also urged Turkey to tone down its threats of military intervention. "I hope it is internal rhetoric and they are not considering solving their problems through war, because war never resolved anyone's problems," he said.
