Iranian President cancels visit to Konya

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was scheduled to visit Turkey on the invitation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday, has canceled his visit to central Anatolian province Konya at a time when Iran's top military commander has warned Turkey that the deployment of Patriot anti-missile batteries along Turkey's border with Syria will set the stage for a world war. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had invited the Iranian president to Konya for a ceremony marking the 739th anniversary of the passing of the great Sufi mystic Rumi. Diplomatic sources said that Ahmadinejad would not be able to attend the ceremonies due to another schedule.