Turkish president meets with American delegation

ANKARA

President Abdullah Gül held a meeting Feb. 18 with a delegation led by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is also known as the Helsinki Commission.

The Helsinki Commission is an independent agency of the federal government charged with monitoring compliance with the Helsinki Accords and advancing comprehensive security through promotion of human rights, democracy and economic, environmental and military cooperation in 56 countries. The commission consists of nine members from the U.S. Senate, nine from the House of Representatives, and one member each from the departments of State, Defense and Commerce.

Seven-day trip

The delegation has been on a seven-day trip covering Israel, Turkey and Austria and while in Jerusalem, they met with President Shimon Peres on Feb. 17, according to Israeli media reports. The tour aims at engaging in firsthand assessments of democratic, economic and human rights developments, with strong emphasis on the latter, English-language daily The Jerusalem Post said Feb. 18.