BAGHDAD: Iraq anticipates only limited Turkish air strikes on Kurdish separatists in the north of the country and wants the guerillas to leave as soon as possible, Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said.

Zebari said the Iraqi government was "not comfortable" with a vote in Turkey's parliament on Wednesday giving its military the green light to hunt members of the Kurdish Workers Party in Iraq.

Zebari's comments were the first reaction from the Iraqi government since the vote in Turkey.

Thousands of people took to the streets in several northern Iraqi towns to protest against the Turkish vote.

Carrying banners with slogans in English, Kurdish, Turkish and Arabic, the marchers called for peaceful dialogue with their northern neighbour to end the crisis, but vowed to resist any military invasion of their Kurdistan region.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Ankara wants to give diplomacy a chance, but insisted that it is determined to fight "terrorism."

An Istanbul meeting of the foreign ministers of Iraq's neighbours set for November 2 will be "an occasion to discuss all problems in Iraq, including our problem with terrorism," Babacan said.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected at the Istanbul meeting.

In Ankara, Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul said he would meet his US counterpart Robert Gates on Sunday to discuss the tensions. The meeting will take place in the sidelines of an international gathering in Kiev.

The autonomous Kurdish regional government said it "welcomes direct dialogue with Ankara on all issues of common interest or concern, including the PKK." Kuwait has urged Turkey to exercise utmost restraint. Meanwhile, Syria has said it is Turkey's right to take action against the guerillas.