Turkey has said it will want to see a second United Nations resolution before any US-led military intervention in Iraq.

Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said his country was against a war, but said Turkey would allow US troops to use its air space and facilities if it had UN backing.

The present UN resolution does not allow the automatic resorting to armed intervention

Yasar Yakis

Mr Yakis was speaking after talks with the US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz who is in Ankara seeking the support of the new Turkish Government in the conflict with Iraq.

Turkey's co-operation is considered crucial in any operation against Iraq - its bases would be needed to launch an attack on northern Iraq.

Mr Wolfowitz has said Turkey could be the key to disarming Baghdad in line with UN resolutions.

Problems

Mr Yakis said military authorities from the US and Turkey were holding consultations on the assumption that co-operation on Iraq might be necessary one day.

Wolfowitz said the ball is in Saddam Hussein's court

But he added that the present UN resolution "does not allow the automatic resorting to armed intervention".

Mr Yakis said that if another resolution were to be passed by the Security Council, US troops could use Turkish facilities.

But he added that Turkey would have problems supporting a large US presence in the country.

"It may be difficult to see tens of thousands of American forces being transported through Turkish territory into Iraq or being stationed or deployed somewhere in Turkey and their carrying out strikes inside Iraq," he said.

Kurdish issue

Turkey is concerned with the economic and political impact of a possible US-led war against Iraq, but Mr Wolfowitz promised economic support for Ankara to tide it through any instability that might ensue from military confrontation on its doorstep.

"If there is a crisis in this region we know that Turkey's going to be one of the countries most affected and we want to make sure we deal with that," he said.

The US official has also sought to placate Turkey's concerns regarding its sizeable Kurdish minority - in particular its fears about the possibility of Iraqi Kurds gaining independence.

Before arriving in Ankara, Mr Wolfowitz stressed that the Kurds of northern Iraq would not be allowed to create an independent state.

War plans

Mr Wolfowitz - a leading hawk in the US administration - insisted Washington was focused on bringing a peaceful resolution to the crisis, but was also ready for war.

He was pressed in Ankara on newspaper reports that the US wants to station more than 100,000 troops on Turkey's border with Iraq, and had asked for up to 40,000 Turkish troops to be available for possible military action.

Many Turks are loath to support an attack on Iraq

"I believe close Turkish-American co-operation will be key to achieving the goal of Iraq disarming voluntarily," Mr Wolfowitz said.

He added that Washington was now doing what it could, including military planning, to persuade the Iraqi leader that a "new era" had begun with the passing of UN Resolution 1441 facilitating the return of disarmament inspectors to Iraq and threatening "serious consequences" if Iraq failed to comply.

Turkey already allows US warplanes to use Incirlik airbase to patrol a no-fly zone over northern Iraq, set up after the 1991 Gulf War.

Turkish media reports say Washington has promised to write off Ankara's $6-7bn military debts if it meets US demands.