In Ankara, government spokesman and Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told reporters that all ministers had signed a motion calling on parliament to authorize the dispatch of Turkish soldiers to Iraq, in response to a US request for military help in the increasingly turbulent country.
The minister said the motion limited the term of the deployment to one year, but did not specify how many soldiers might be sent and to which region of Iraq.
Turkey has indicated it is willing to send up to 10,000 troops to help its US ally restore stability in its neighbor, but the Iraqi leadership, and particularly the Kurds in the north who have had stormy relations with Ankara, have expressed opposition to the idea.
Turkish public opinion is also overwhelmingly against sending troops to Iraq, but the ruling Justice and Development Party has a comfortable majority in parliament and its MPs are expected to approve the move.
The US on Monday lauded the Turkish decision and restated its pledge to help Ankara in fighting Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.
Meanwhile US President George W. Bush said that he had ordered a new White House panel to take charge of coordinating US action in Iraq.
The group will be headed by National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in what was seen as a slap in the face for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
The New York Times quoted one senior administration official as saying "this puts accountability right into the White House."
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