Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, in a letter read Wednesday on state television, warned Kurdish leaders to end their alignment with invading US and British troops, telling them his regime was staying put.

"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 autonomy 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 told the Kurdish leaders: "For a long time, we have been hearing and seeing you flirt with America and the Zionists."

"But the flirting has entered a dangerous phase now ...which has turned into welcoming the American forces ... and opening a front in the north against the Iraqi people and army," Saddam said.

"It is my moral, basic and constitu-

tional duty to warn you of the dangers of this game, if you have surrendered to it," he said.

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 kilometres (25 miles) 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.