United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on a one-day trip to Ankara as part of his tour of Mideast to exchange views on the Lebanon issue, yesterday met with top Turkish officials, including President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
During his talks with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Annan assured him that UN troops to be deployed in Lebanon would not engage in combat. Gul said that the Turkish public was sensitive on sending troops to Lebanon due to a recent rise in terrorist PKK attacks, adding that peace in the region could not be reached without a settlement to the Palestine issue.
The UN secretary-general then met with Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Afterwards, the two leaders held a press conference where Erdogan reiterated that Turkish troops would be in Lebanon only to ensure peace in the region.