Washington, D.C. ? Trying to head off a Turkish attack in northern Iraq, President Bush on Monday told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the United States will share military intelligence in the hunt for Kurdish terrorists.

The meeting of the leaders was viewed as pivotal in influencing the next move by Turkey, which is weighing a military strike against terrorist forces in Iraq.

With thousands of Turkish troops massed on the border of his country, Erdogan maintained that Turkey has the authority to mount a cross-border incursion. He said nothing to indicate his intentions or remove that option from consideration.

But in an Oval Office session, Bush seemed to successfully convey that the U.S. is committed to combatting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. The separatist group in Iraq, deemed a terrorist organization by the U.S., is responsible for killing more than 40 Turks in the past month in cross-border raids.

“As I leave your country, I see that we agree to a great extent,” Erdogan said in a speech at the National Press Club, recapping his visit with Bush. “I suppose you don’t expect me to tell you everything we’ve spoken about. But I’m happy.”