The European Commission has also expressed its hope that Turkey would respect Iraq's territorial integrity.

"We hope that Turkey will continue to play a constructive role in order to reach these objectives and promote regional cooperation," a commission spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The comments came after the Turkish air force on Wednesday raided suspected Kurdish rebel positions near Iraq, leading to fears that these attacks are a prelude to a bigger Turkish offensive in northern Iraq.

Despite repeated calls from the United States to refrain from intervening in the country, Turkey's government has said it does not see another way of ending the activities of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) – a Turkish-Kurdish separatist militia partially operating from Iraq.

Following recent attacks on Turkish soldiers and policemen, public opinion is also pressing the government to get tough and crackdown on the rebels.

On Thursday, the government stated that it would try to obtain a parliamentary motion authorising a possible army operation in northern Iraq.

According to Reuters, a senior MP of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said that the government will send a draft text to parliament next week.

"The resolution won't go to parliament today. It will be sent to parliament after Bayram [Turkish public holiday]," the unnamed senior MP said.

But Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted on Wednesday that no immediate military action is planned.

"It does not mean that anything will happen once we have the authorisation. We want to have the authorisation in hand so as to make a swift decision when it becomes necessary," Mr Erdogan said to CNN Turk.

While Turkey and Iraq signed an accord last month to combat the PKK, it is considered highly unlikely that Baghdad has the means to keep the rebels in check.

Both the US and the EU list the PKK as a terrorist organisation.