NATO will decide on Saturday on an internal dispute over protection for Turkey in the event of a war on neighbouring Iraq, German Defence Minister Peter Struck said on Thursday.

Struck told parliament that whatever decision was taken by NATO on Saturday – a day after chief UN weapons inspectors report on Iraqi disarmament to the United Nations Security Council – it would "correspond entirely to Turkey's interests" and that Ankara would receive the protection it needed.

On Monday, Germany, France and Belgium blocked NATO plans to prepare defences for member Turkey in the event of it being attacked by Iraq, sparking one of the biggest crises in the history of the transatlantic alliance.

Germany said NATO military moves would have sent the "wrong signal" and insisted UN weapons inspections in Iraq need to be extended.

NATO's 19 ambassadors had been due to on Thursday to meet in Brussels for the fourth straight day to thrash out the issue. But the meeting was postponed until a later, as yet unspecified, date.

Earlier on Thursday, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder had said that no official decision would be needed before Friday's Security Council meeting.

"Our solidarity with Turkey and all other members of NATO is not in question," he said. "When a partner is in need of help we will be there."

He confirmed that Germany, with the Netherlands, would send Patriot missiles to Turkey and that German troops would help survey Turkish territory from NATO AWACS radar aircraft.

Struck said the Patriots, which are used to shoot down other missiles, would leave by ship for Turkey on Saturday.

His ministry said in a statement that 46 of the surface-to-air defensive missiles had been sent to the Netherlands and would be delivered with Dutch launchers.AFP