Erdogan meets with Palestinian President Abbas

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Erdogan told Abbas that Palestine should solve the problems within itself in order to get a positive, substantive outcome on the Palestinian issue. He said that once Palestine resolves its conflicts, Turkey will hold a festival there. For his part, Abbas said that Palestine is resisting Israeli pressure to recognize the Jewish state. He also thanked Erdogan for defending Palestine. Later, President Abdullah Gul held a dinner at the Foreign Ministry Residence in Abbas' honor.