Palestinian leader due in Turkey

ANKARA

REUTERS Photo

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was set to arrive yesterday in the Turkish capital Ankara for a two-day working visit, the Anatolia news agency has reported.

Abbas is set to address the World Economic Forum (WEF), to be held in Istanbul between June 4 and 6. Abbas will also chair a business committee meeting, which will be attended by Turkish and Arab businesspeople. Abbas is scheduled to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan this evening on the sidelines of the forum, Palestinian officials told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday. He will also meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gül in Istanbul tomorrow, as well as Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu at an unscheduled time.

The Palestinian president is expected to exchange views over Cairo talks for Palestinian reconciliation, as well as peace talks with Israel, which have been suspended indefinitely due to continuing Jewish settlement efforts in Palestinian territories. The WEF will focus on the economies of Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.