WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighted their desire to overcome differences over the Iraq war that created tensions, as they met here Wednesday.
Ankara had been one of Washington`s closest allies until 2003, when it refused to allow US troops to use its territory as a launching pad for their invasion of Iraq, cooling relations between the two NATO members.
After meeting with Erdogan at the White House, Bush praised democracy in Turkey as "an important example for the people in the broader Middle East."
The White House also expressed support, ahead of the talks, for Turkey`s membership in the European Union, despite the crisis caused by the rejection of the European constitution in two key countries.
Erdogan, for his part, said he and Bush "were able to discuss with some depth the issues with regard to Israel, Palestine (and) the situation in Iraq, Afghanistan" and also touched upon Cyprus.
Bush noted that Washington and Ankara shared the goal of working with the Palestinians, "so they can have their own state, their own democracy, living side by side in peace with Israel."
Turkey enjoys good relations with both Israel and the Palestinians, and offered in May to serve as a mediator for the parties. Israel declined the offer.
Bush and Erdogan did not address Turkey`s hopes to join the European Union in their comments to the press after the meeting.
But White House spokesman Scott McClellan said earlier that the US position on the subject has not changed, despite obstacles in ratifying the European constitution.
Last year, Bush expressed support for Turkey`s membership in the EU, and drew criticism from French President Jacques Chirac, who argued that Bush should not meddle in European affairs.
France and the Netherlands rejected the European constitution, which could, in turn, delay negotiations on Ankara`s membership in the bloc.
Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said Tuesday that he believes "it`s going to take some time for the Europeans to sort through this themselves and reflect on where they go from here and the implications."
He added that Turkey must "look beyond the European Union to a global context."
The White House spokesman, meanwhile, said Wednesday that the United States intended to work with the Iraqis to combat the rebel Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK), which uses northern Iraq as its base of operations against Turkey.
The group waged a bloody campaign for Kurdish self-rule in southeastern Turkey between 1984 and 1999. The conflict has claimed some 37,000 lives.
"We consider them a terrorist organization, and we are working with the transitional government and the government of Turkey to address it," McClellan said.
"We are committed to eliminating terrorists inside Iraq, or terrorists that are coming into Iraq. And that`s something we`re working on with the transitional government, as well as the government of Turkey when it comes to the PKK."
The head of the chiefs of staff of Turkey`s military, General Hilmi Ozkok, complained in late April about US inaction in the face of the PKK, and warned against Iraqi Kurds taking control of the Iraqi oil town of Kirkuk.
06/08/2005 17:49 GMT