Turkish PM warns Iraqi Kurds over Kirkuk

ANKARA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday Turkey could not stand idly by if Iraqi Kurds seized control of oil-rich Kirkuk in northern Iraq, though he did not spell out what Ankara might do to prevent such a scenario. Erdogan fears the Kurds want to carve out an independent state in northern Iraq, embracing Kirkuk, which could in turn fan separatism among its own Kurds living in southeast Turkey.

Ankara has accused the Kurds of deliberately boosting their numbers in Kirkuk, at the expense of Arabs and Turkish-speaking Turkmens, to ensure the city votes in an eventual referendum in favour of being incorporated into Iraq's Kurdish region.

"There are efforts to alter the demographic structure of Kirkuk. We cannot remain a bystander to such developments," Erdogan told members of his ruling AK Party in a televised address in parliament.

Erdogan said the developments could lead to a more intense level of civil war in Iraq that could harm the wider region.

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