Iraqi Kurdish chief comes out in support of dialogue after Saddam's call  DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, Nov 30 (AFP) - An Iraqi Kurdish leader has come out in support of a peaceful settlement between Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq and Baghdad after a call for dialogue from President Saddam Hussein. "We are in favour of peace and do not want war," said Massood Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), in a speech broadcast late Thursday on his party's TV channel, which can be viewed from southeast Turkey.

Barzani's statement followed an offer earlier this week from Saddam for dialogue with the
Kurds of northern Iraq, only two weeks after the Iraqi president had threatened them with
use of force.

However, Barzani warned that the KDP would retaliate if attacked. "If there is a threat
against us, we are ready to face it," he said.

Iraqi Kurdistan rose up against Baghdad in the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War over
Kuwait, leaving the three provinces of Arbil, Suleimaniyeh and Dahuk outside Baghdad's
reach.

The KDP today controls an area along the Turkish border, while the rival Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan of Jalal Talabani administers areas close to the Iranian border.

Barzani gave an assurance that his faction was not seeking to establish an independent
Kurdish state in its mountainous enclave which is protected by a Western security umbrella.

"We are not and will never pursue an independent Kurdish state," the KDP leader said. "Our
aim is a federation within a democratic Iraq in which we have our rights. This would be
more beneficial both to us and the region."

Turkey, whose southeastern region borders northern Iraq, opposes an independent Kurdish
state in the region, fearing that such a move would spur ethnic separatism among Turkish
Kurds.

The Ankara government has close ties with the the KDP and cooperates with the group in its
frequent cross-border operations against Turkish Kurdish rebels sheltering in northern Iraq.
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