Istanbul sees busy diplomatic traffic between Turkish, mideast leaders

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday hosted a working lunch in Istanbul for Syrian President Bashar Assad and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani. Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir al-Thani and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu attended the event as well. Erdogan also had separate closed-door meetings with al-Thani at the Prime Ministry office at Dolmabahce Palace , and with Assad at Ciragan Palace . Erdogan also had a meeting with Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Debbagh. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Davutoglu said that Turkey , Syria and Qatar condemn statements escalating tension in the region, underlining the need to encourage order-building efforts. Davutoglu said the three countries back a two-state solution for the Palestinian issue, and confirmed their support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state headquartered in East Jerusalem . "They find Israel 's settlement policies, which do much to harm peace efforts in line with this vision, unacceptable, and urge Israel to abandon such policies," he said. Davutoglu also said they reaffirmed their determination to preserve East Jerusalem 's religious and historical identity, and to stop activities harming this identity. Davutoglu complained about what he called the international community's lack of interest in ongoing humanitarian suffering in Gaza , and called for an immediate end to this tragedy. Stating that they also discussed Iraq and Iran , Davutoglu said they confirmed their hope that a government embracing all sectors of society will be established in Iraq . Stating that the three countries share a principled stance that nuclear energy should only be used for peaceful purposes, Davutoglu said they want the region free of nuclear weapons. He also said they share the same view on how to deal with that Iranian nuclear issue, saying that they believe diplomatic means to solve this issue should be prioritized. In related news, President Abdullah Gul yesterday received Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and an accompanying delegation. He also met with al-Thani, and hosted a breakfast for Assad and al-Thani with Erdogan and Davutoglu also in attendance. Larijani is in Istanbul to attend the second extraordinary meeting of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) member states (PUOICM). Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin will preside over the meeting at Istanbul 's Conrad Hotel. Sahin also held bilateral talks with Yemeni Parliament Speaker Yahya al-Raee, Larijani and Syrian Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Abrash in Istanbul yesterday. Parliament speakers and deputy speakers from 20 countries and parliamentarians from eight countries will attend the meeting. Israel 's damaging Jerusalem by opening new settlement units will top the meeting's agenda. Sahin, Erdogan, PUOICM Secretary-General Mahmut Erol Kilic and Turkish scholar Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OIC's secretary-general, are all expected to speak at the meeting. In other news, Davutoglu yesterday held a series of talks in Istanbul ahead of the gathering. Davutoglu met with Larijani, Iraqi government spokesman al-Dabbagh and Iraqi Parliament Speaker Ayad al-Samarrai. The PUOICM is set to convene in Istanbul today with the participation of delegates from 28 OIC member countries.