Iraq's president says the prospect of a Turkish "invasion" of his country is fading.

 

A week after meeting with his US and Turkish counterparts, Jalal Talabani said cross-border tensions were easing.

 

But Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna found the picture on the streets of Istanbul quite different and Turkey continued to mass troops along the border.

Despite the Ankara government appearing to have succeeded in calming the emotions that were running high in recent weeks, the Turkish public continues to thirst for revenge and expect a mass military deployment into northern Iraq, he said.

Citizens feel the government has been to slow in striking back against attacks by Kurdish separatist forces, the PKK.

 

Sentiments from "it's already too late" to "the government is trying to fool people that they're doing something" to "the terrorists are already gone" abounded, Hanna found.

 

Escalated military activity

 

Hanna reported escalated military activity a day after four soldiers were killed in clashes with members of the PKK, with more reinforcements arriving at the southern border.

 

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"I think it is pretty difficult to say troops shouldn't [invade] when the Turkish soldiers are being killed, and their villages attacked" Celtic, Karlstad, Sweden Send us your views

Turkish helicopters and fighter aircraft reportedly struck at targets across the border.

 

But Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, on Wednesday denied his forces had carried out aerial strikes against rebel targets but reaffirmed the readiness for a cross-border operation if necessary.

 

"All the operations that have taken place have been within the borders of Turkey, there have been no cross-border operations," he said late on Wednesday.

 

"It is not possible to get results in three to five days, but we are following the developments in northern Iraq closely."

 

Last week, Erdogan urged George Bush, the US president, to crack down on PKK fighters in northern Iraq.

 

Turkey, a Nato ally, has also accepted a US offer to share intelligence on the PKK.

 

Speaking in parliament, Ali Babacan, Turkey's foreign minister, said: "The intelligence sharing is important, it has started to be implemented."

 

Last month Turkey's parliament approved a government request to be able to launch a cross-border military operation.

 

"Nobody should doubt that parliamentary resolution will be used at the most appropriate and effective time," Babacan said.

 

"All orders given after the meeting between President Bush and Prime Minister Erdogan have begun to be implemented."