DUBAI, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The government of Iraqi Kurdistan said it was committed to stopping cross border attacks by Kurdish separatists against Turkey but called for a political solution amid Turkish threats to invade its neighbour.

Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government, told Al Jazeera Television the problem of attacks by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), whose rebels use northern Iraq as a base, could not be resolved militarily.

"We, as the government of the province of Kurdistan, will not allow our land or the land of Iraq to be used for assaults on any neighbouring state," he said in comments aired on Sunday.

"The PKK is not just a problem for Turkey but has caused us problems in the past .... It is not true that we are benefiting from the problem of the PKK, but our view is that since this issue cannot be solved through war we should seek a political solution," he added in comments dubbed into Arabic.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday Ankara was prepared to face any international criticism if his country launched an attack on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

Washington fears such an offensive against Turkish Kurds, who are fighting for an independent homeland in southeastern Turkey, could destabilise Iraq's most stable area and potentially the wider region.

But faced with a sharp escalation of attacks by Kurdish militants on Turkish troops, Erdogan's government has decided to seek approval from parliament next week for a major military operation against the PKK rebels.

Barzani said only a political deal would end the violence.

"We are very sorry about the recent killing of 13 Turkish soldiers. We condemn this incident, which did not help to solve the problem. The more blood is spilled the more complex this problem becomes. We must put an end to this violence," he said.

"Turkish politicians must change their thinking on this and find a new solution to the issue of the PKK... The PKK has said it is ready for a political solution and we must try, along with Turkey and all parties ... to find a peaceful solution."

Barzani also criticised the central government in Baghdad for failing to consult the regional Kurdish government before signing an anti-terrorism deal with Turkey in September, which targeted Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq.

Iraq and Turkey failed to agree on a plan that would have let Turkish troops chase militants across the border, as Ankara says it has the right to do under international law.

An estimated 3,000 PKK guerrillas use northern Iraq as a springboard from which to attack security and civilian targets inside Turkish territory. Turkey blames the PKK for the deaths of over 30,000 people since it began its armed struggle in 1984.

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