TEL AVIV, Jan 3 (AFP) - Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul arrived here Monday ahead of fence-mending talks with Israeli leaders and a meeting with the new Palestinian leadership in the West Bank.
Gul was first meeting with Turkish businessmen but he will hold talks on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, President Moshe Katsav and his counterpart Silvan Shalom.
The visit is intended to reaffirm the normally friendly relationship which took a battering in May when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned as "state terror" a deadly Israeli raid on the Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza and Ankara temporarily recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv.
He is then due to meet on Wednesday with the new PLO chairman Mahmud Abbas, the overwhelming favourite to be elected as Yasser Arafat's successor as Palestinian Authority president on Sunday. His visit to the West Bank town of Ramallah will also see him hold talks with prime minister Ahmed Qorei.
Gul told reporters before his departure that "a new climate has emerged regarding the Middle East peace process and this new climate can lead to good results."
"It is one of Turkey's important duties to contribute to the peace process and this will be the priority issue in my talks," he added.
01/03/2005 13:47 GMT - AFP