The plan will be submitted to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan within several days and will be discussed at a cabinet meeting next week, Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker said at a joint press conference with the ministers of environment and energy, Osman Pepe and Hilmi Guler.

"Under the current scenarios, the Mediterranean region will be one of the worst affected by global warming and Turkey is part of this region," Pepe said.

He urged Turks to economise water and help the authorities in forestation campaigns.

The minister said Turkey would "inevitably" sign the United Nations' Kyoto Protocol, which cuts greenhouse gas emissions, in the course of its accession process to the European Union, but did not give a precise time.

The measures to be proposed in the report were expected to include the introduction of tight criteria for the use of water in farming and industry and prevent the operation of tens of thousands of unlicensed water wells, officials said.

Ankara is already under pressure to introduce far-reaching measures to improve the ailing state of environment protection in the country. Officials say Turkey has to invest up to 35 billion euros in environmental projects in order to catch up with EU norms.

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