ANKARA, Dec 28 (AFP) - Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will pay a long-awaited visit to Israel in early January after a cool period in relations between the two regional allies, the foreign ministry announced Tuesday.
Gul's January 4-5 trip will also take him to the Palestinian territories.
"The visit is envisaged to include talks on bilateral relations with Israel and Palestine as well as the Middle Esat peace process, other regional issues and international developments," the statement said.
Gul was scheduled to travel on to Jordan for a meeting of Iraq's neighbors ahead of the January 30 elections in the war-torn country, it said.
Turkey, a non-Arab Muslim nation with a strictly secular system, has been Israel's chief regional ally since 1996 when, much to the anger of Arab states and Iran, the two struck a military cooperation deal.
Bilateral ties have chilled, however, since Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party came to power in November 2002 and became a vocal critic of the Jewish state's heavy-handed policies against the Palestinians.
Tensions culminated in June when Turkey temporarily recalled its ambassador following a deadly Israeli crackdown in the Gaza Strip, which Erdogan condemned as "state terror."
In April, a visit by Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was postponed without explanation, while in November 2003 Erdogan, citing a busy schedule, turned down a request by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to briefly visit Ankara.
The Turkish government, in the meantime, has pledged to enhance cooperation with the Palestinians, whose claim for statehood it supports.
12/28/2004 11:11 GMT - AFP