"I advise you not to rush toward anything that you will regret, as you know that this leadership and the state leading the confrontation against the invaders are staying," Saddam told Jalal Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Saddam urged Talabani to "avoid confronting the (Iraqi) army and people," in a letter read by Information Minister Mohammad Said al-Sahhaf.

"A copy of this letter is sent to Massoud Mustapha Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)," said the message.

The PUK and KDP, both allied with US forces, have enjoyed de facto control in northern Iraq since the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf war, with the protection of US and British warplanes which have restricted Iraqi flight in the area.

Saddam's appeal came after Kurdish military sources in the autonomous region reported that their fighters were gaining ground.

An AFP correspondent Wednesday saw Iraqi troops relinquish a military position near the town of Kalak, which is located some 40 kilometresmiles) from Mosul, on the demarcation line between Kurdish- and government-controlled territories.

Kurdish sources said the peshmerga, or guerrillas, took over the position and were hoping to advance beyond the hills by Thursday to the two bridges leading to the village of Khazer, where the Iraqi forces have an important base.

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