"The United States has requested permission only for the transit passage of U.S. planes," said Cicek.

ANKARA, March 19 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Concerned with losing a promised aid package that could give a boost to its frail economy and fearing  alienation that could revive Kurdish dreams of independence, the Turkish government said Wednesday, March 19, it would ask parliament to approve a U.S. request to use its airspace to launch strikes against neighbouring Iraq.

"The motion that will be submitted to parliament will include a request for permission to send Turkish soldiers abroad and to allow U.S. planes overflight rights," Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told reporters after a lengthy cabinet meeting on the Iraqi crisis.

A vote on the request would be held on Thursday, March 20, Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted him as saying.

Just hours before, the minister had announced that MPs would also be asked to approve the deployment of U.S. soldiers in Turkey for a possible invasion of Iraq from the north, but had added that Ankara and Washington were still trying to reach a deal on the issue.

Later, Cicek announced that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul had agreed in a telephone conversation on granting overflight rights to U.S. planes.

"The United States has requested permission only for the transit passage of U.S. planes... Talks will continue on other issues according to developments," the minister said.

The cabinet decision came as U.S. officials announced in Washington they still eagerly anticipated Turkish support to possible U.S. military action, particularly on overflight rights, despite the late date.

"We will hope that we'll be able to have Turkey's support in the days ahead," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon began redeploying ships and submarines from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea in a sign Washington was increasingly concerned that Turkey might not allow overflights of planes and missiles.

Hours before the cabinet met, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had given signals that his government was ready to assist the United States against Iraq.

"Our government considers it important to act in a manner appropriate to the importance and function of our alliance with the United States," he told parliament on Tuesday, March 18.

Turkey, where public opinion is staunchly opposed to war in Iraq, has greatly frustrated its NATO ally with weeks of foot-dragging and a parliament vote on March 1, narrowly rejecting the deployment here of 62,000 U.S soldiers.

The vote had not only hampered Washington's plans to open a second front against Baghdad in addition to a main invasion from the south, but also blocked Ankara's plans to send troops to northern Iraq to prevent local Kurds from breaking away from Baghdad.

No More Aid

Washington has withdrawn a six-billion-dollar aid package for Turkey following parliament's failure to approve the deployment of U.S. troops in the country, Turkish Economy Minister Ali Babacan told Anatolia news agency Wednesday.

"The six-billion-dollar package is not available at the moment, but it is not known what developments could take place in the coming days," he said.

The minister added that Washington had promised this package in return for "full military cooperation."

Agreement In “Principle”

Since the parliamentary rebuff, the United States had been frequently warning Turkey against undertaking unilateral military action in northern Iraq, while Iraqi Kurds have threatened to fight Turkish troops.

But Cicek announced that Washington had now agreed "in principle" to allow Turkish soldiers to enter the Kurdish-held enclave which has been outside Baghdad's control since the 1991 Gulf War.

Ankara fears that Iraqi Kurds may take advantage of a war to declare an independent state in their enclave, setting an example for their own restive cousins in Turkey's southeast.

"The United States has confirmed Turkey's sensitivities" regarding Iraq's territorial integrity and Ankara's desire to see the Turkmens, a community of Turkic origin, obtain greater political influence in northern Iraq, Cicek said.

President Bush declared in a 13-minute speech on Tuesday that the U.S. had the ‘sovereign’ authority to declare war and that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has 48 hours to leave the country or face war.

But the White House made clear that U.S. forces would enter Iraq even if Saddam steps down.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan ordered the evacuation of U.N. arms inspectors and humanitarian staff from Iraq and had suspended the oil-for-food program there.