BAGHDAD, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Wednesday denied telling Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan that Baghdad might agree to hand over Kurdish rebel leaders hiding out in northern Iraq to Ankara.

"We have said many times that the PKK leadership does not exist in Kurdish cities but are living with thousands of their fighters in the Qandil mountains, so it is not possible for us to arrest and hand them over to Turkey," Talabani said in a statement.

Earlier a senior Turkish Foreign Ministry official in Ankara said Talabani had made the offer to Babacan. Talabani has previously said Iraq would never hand over any Kurds to Turkey.

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