Gul receives US mideast envoy Mitchell

US special Middle East envoy George Mitchell yesterday arrived in Ankara to held talks with top officials. After meeting with Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, Mitchell and his delegation were received by President Abdullah Gul, with Babacan and US Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey also in attendance. Issues reportedly discussed during the meeting included the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Turkey again taking command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan this year, and the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. Mitchell reportedly reiterated Turkey's importance in the Middle East for the US.