ANKARA - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to visit Turkey next week to discuss the situation in the region after the formation of a new Palestinian government led by the radical group Hamas, diplomats said here Tuesday.
During his two-day stay on April 24-25, Abbas will meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, the diplomats said.
Palestinian officials said earlier that Abbas would also visit Norway and Finland before heading to France on April 27.
Turkey has close relations with both Israel and the Palestinians and has often offered to mediate in their conflict.
In February, Ankara angered Israel when it hosted a Hamas delegation for talks described as an effort to persuade the group to renounce violence.
04/18/2006 12:37 GMT