Abbas in Ankara to talk peace deal

Agence France Presse

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Turkey on Friday for a meeting with Turkish officials on the Middle East peace process. His visit comes after the government was criticized for adopting a pro-Hamas stance during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Abbas met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over dinner in Ankara. His trip will last until Sunday.

In Saudi Arabia, President Abdullah Gül said Turkey was not supporting Hamas, but it is supporting Palestine, reported daily Hürriyet Friday.

"We are supporting all of Palestine. Maybe Hamas appeared at the forefront because the incident unfolded in Gaza, but Turkey is not supporting a certain group in Palestine. The division inside Palestine is something up to the Palestinians," he said.

Asked if the policy pursued by the government during the Gaza crisis would spoil Turkey's ties with the West, Gül said Turkish efforts aimed at restoring peace in the region.

"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict spoils peace and stability in all over the world. We believe that the maintenance of a peaceful atmosphere in the region will contribute to the entire global peace," he said.

Turkey engaged in an active diplomatic role during the war in Gaza, carrying out shuttle diplomacy between exiled leaders of Hamas and Egyptian officials who sought a cease-fire deal.

Ankara has repeatedly said securing unity between Hamas and Abbas’s West Bank-based Fatah movement is critical for the success of the Palestinian cause for statehood. Efforts are under way to hold an international conference to rebuild Gaza. Egypt will host the summit set for March 2 and 80 countries plan to attend. A diplomatic source said top-level foreign ministers would most probably attend the conference of donor countries for Gaza.

When Qatar’s prime minister met with Erdoğan in Ankara this week, he sought Turkish support for rebuilding Gaza and invited Turkey for an international summit.