In an interview with NTV television, Sahin said: "We can take this step once the parliament approves the motion which allows the Turkish armed forces to cross."

"Our soldiers will cross the border only for humanitarian purposes. If there is a refugee wave towards our border, we plan to stop the refugees on the other side of the border and accommodate them in humanitarian support centers there," he explained.

Sahin said that Turkey must adopt appropriate measures, including dispatching troops to northern Iraq, to meet the upcoming refugee waves.

"It is wrong to say that these measures will be taken once migration starts. You have to take precautions, make preparations in advance," he said.

The Turkish parliament would on Thursday decide on a government motion seeking consent for US warplanes to use its airspace and approval of sending Turkish forces to northern Iraq.

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2003)