Musharraf in Ankara to Press Muslim Peace Initiative

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf arrived in Ankara on Monday for a two-day official visit, with Iraq, Afghanistan, and his proposed Muslim-world peace plan heading the agenda.

Musharraf came directly from Tehran, where he had met Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In Ankara he was scheduled to meet Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer before holding separate talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday, followed by a joint news conference.

The Pakistani leader had already traveled to Egypt, Jordan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates to build support for his peace initiative. A Pakistani embassy diplomat in Ankara said Musharraf aimed to secure broad agreement among Muslim nations on the plan.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in February 2007, in its own words.