Turkey wants great role before sending troops

As a neighbour of Iraq and because of its history, the foreign minister said, Turkey is optimally placed to give US advice on Iraq.

"Since we are a part of that world, we know better than you," Gul said. "We ruled this area for a hundred years. We can give good advice and we can really contribute to settle down the issues over there for the stabilization of Iraq."

Gul, who arrived here Tuesday, is scheduled to meet with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. The minister is also expected to have talks at the Pentagon.

Before his departure from Ankara, Gul said he would use his visit to Washington to put Turkish-American relations on a healthier footing.

Turkey infuriated the United States in March when its parliament rejected a demand for US forces to use Turkish territory as a springboard for an invasion of Iraq from the north.

Tensions between the long-standing NATO allies flared in early July when US forces detained 11 Turkish soldiers in the northern Iraqi town of Sulaymanieh and kept them in custody for some 60 hours on suspicion of plotting to harm local Kurdish officials.