The remarks came amid intense speculation here that the United States is about to give up on the idea of Turkey sending troops to Iraq because it cannot convince that country's local leaders that it would be a good idea.

"The United States called our general staff some time ago and said 'give us some time... and we will continue later,'" Erdogan told Turkish reporters during a visit to Tajikistan, according to NTV.

He said, however, that "the fact that a pause has been called in the talks does not mean that this job is over."

"The government is always ready. We do not know what the United States will do... We will look at the proposal they will bring us and make a decision," he was quoted as saying.

Erdogan said scrapping the troop plan would not be a problem for Turkey.

The Ankara government is already under strong pressure from its public opinion, strongly opposed to the troop plan.

US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said on Thursday that Washington was still hoping to find a solution to the wrangle that would satisfy both parties.

The Iraqi Kurds, who have long had stormy relations with Ankara, are particularly hostile to a Turkish deployment.

They fear that Turkey, which borders the mainly Kurdish region of Iraq, could attempt to thwart their political gains in the post-Saddam Hussein era.

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