ANKARA, Feb 1 (AFP) - Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas arrived in Turkey Tuesday on his first official visit to the country during which he will discuss bilateral cooperation with Turkish leaders, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Abbas, who is accompanied by his foreign minister Nabil Shaath, will meet Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and business leaders.
He will leave on Wednesday after meeting Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc.
Turkey has welcomed the election of Abbas in the January 9 Palestinian presidential elections as an important step towards the revival of the stalled Middle East peace process.
Turkey, a strictly secular non-Arab Muslim nation, believes it is in a position to facilitate peace initiatives in the Middle East, drawing on its close ties with both Israel and the Palestinians.
02/01/2005 10:14 GMT - AFP