A cabinet meeting of the Turkish Government has ended without any statement on how to tackle the political crisis the country has tumbled into.

Elections must be held because there is no other foreseeable solution to this mess that we are in

Ahmet, Turkey

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Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit made no mention of the possibility of early elections, although he had reportedly told a newspaper published on Wednesday that a vote before the next scheduled poll in 2004 could be necessary.

It was the first time the increasingly isolated leader had met the cabinet since a string of ministers walked out on both his government and his Democratic Left Party (DSP) in protest at his refusal to resign.

Mr Ecevit has so far replaced three of them, signalling his determination to carry on despite an illness which has forced him to miss important meetings and events.

Resignations

Six government ministers - including Mr Ecevit's key ally, Deputy Prime Minister Husamettin Ozkan - have walked out this week.

Another Deputy Prime Minister, Mesut Yilmaz, has called for a new Turkish government, while Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the far-right Nationalist Action Party (MHP) - a member of Mr Ecevit's three-party coalition - called on Sunday for early elections.

Ecevit may now look to Finance Minister Kemal Dervis for support

The third party in Mr Ecevit's coalition, the Motherland Party, has also added its voice to the call for an earlier poll.

In addition, at least 28 MPs in Mr Ecevit's DSP have resigned, causing the party to lose its status as the largest party both in parliament and in the fragile coalition.

The BBC's Jonny Dymond in Istanbul says that after the resignation of his close political ally, Mr Ozkan, Mr Ecevit now needs the support of the two biggest hitters in his government: Finance Minister Kemal Dervis and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem.

But Mr Dervis and Mr Cem met the former deputy prime minister on Wednesday, and there is much speculation - our correspondent says - that the three men are planning to launch a new party.

Mr Dervis on Tuesday seemed most concerned to reassure nervous investors that Turkey's economic fundamentals are sound.

Mr Cem faces the prospect of Turkey's application to join the EU lying idle as electioneering takes the place of passing the necessary reforms.

Correspondents say that while an early election appears unavoidable, it remains wholly unclear what kind of political set-up a national poll would produce.

Current opinion polls suggest that, were elections held now, the principal winner would be the pro-Islamic Justice and Development Party.

Such a result would almost certainly upset the army-led secularist elite of the mainly Muslim country.

Key ally

The United States is said to be monitoring the situation "with interest".

As the only Muslim-majority member of Nato, Turkey's political and economic stability are important to a variety of US interests abroad - including the Middle East, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Markets are worried that a new government will not stick to the programme hammered out with the International Monetary Fund in return for a massive $16bn loan agreed earlier this year.

The country's stock market has dropped about 20% since Mr Ecevit was hospitalised in May, but regained about 1% in early trading on Wednesday.