Palestine - Turkey Interparliamentary Friendship Group Chairman Expected In Ankara

ANKARA - Palestine-Turkey interparliamentary friendship group chairman Sherif Mashaal who was not earlier allowed to leave Israel (for Turkey) will arrive in Ankara this evening.
Sources said on Wednesday that Mashaal was earlier scheduled to visit Turkey with an accompanying delegation as the guest of Turkey-Palestine friendship group chairman Huseyin Tanriverdi, stating that Israel did not allow Mashaal and a member of the friendship group to leave the country. After initiatives of Turkish Consulate General in Jerusalem, Foreign Ministry and Parliament Speaker's Office, Sherif Mashaal was allowed to leave for Turkey.
Mashaal is expected to be in Ankara in the evening.
Tanriverdi told the A.A correspondent, ''I requested that Israel act reasonably on this issue. I said that no one should prevent visits which serve to further friendly relations. We are pleased that Israeli government allowed Mashaal to leave the country for Turkey.''
(EÖ-ULG) 15.09.2004