Turkey’s Erdogan meets Hamas leader
Oct 8, 2013, 2:12 PM
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is meeting Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal in Ankara.
An aide to Erdogan said the two would discuss “regional developments” during their meeting on Tuesday, but gave no further details.
Erdogan has forged close ties to Hamas and this is Mashaal’s third visit to the Turkish capital since September 2012.
The two men last met in June to discuss efforts toward reconciliation between the rival Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas.
Erdogan has long announced plans to visit Gaza but the aide said the issue was not on the agenda Tuesday. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the meeting publicly.
Hamas militants seized control of Gaza in 2007, following several days of fighting against forces loyal to Fatah.
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