NEW YORK - The delegation of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) including Turkish State Minister Besir Atalay will meet with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on Wednesday to revive the road map process between Israel and Palestine.
Sources told the A.A correspondent that the scheduled meeting between the delegation and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was cancelled because he would not be in the United States. The meeting will take place later.
Earlier, a meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur on April 22 upon invitation of current OIC term president Malaysia with a special agenda on the Middle East. During the meeting in which State Minister Atalay represented Turkey, a ministerial-level delegation was formed to hold meetings in the United States, the United Nations, the European Union (EU) and Russia on behalf of the OIC about the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
Turkey has been included in the delegation due to its close interest in the issue of Palestine and its constructive contributions to the Middle East Peace Process. Furthermore, Turkey will host the meeting of foreign ministers of the OIC in Istanbul between June 14 and 16.
The delegation met with Foreign Minister Brian Cowen of current EU term president Ireland in Dublin on May 19 and with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of Russia in Moscow on May 20.
State Minister Atalay will proceed to Washington D.C. after completing his program in New York, to meet with representatives of Turkish associations.
Atalay is expected to return to Turkey on June 6.
(UK-AÖ) 02.06.2004