TURKEY: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Istanbul for talks with Turkish leaders

Record ID: 861754

  • Title: TURKEY: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Istanbul for talks with Turkish leaders
  • Date: 7th April 2013
  • Summary: ISTANBUL, TURKEY (APRIL 7, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PLANE CARRYING U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY PARKED ON TARMAC U.S. OFFICIALS AWAITING U.S. FLAG ON PLANE'S TAIL SECURITY VEHICLES ON TARMAC KERRY DISEMBARKING AND BEING GREETED BY U.S. OFFICIALS PLANE ON TARMAC KERRY SHAKING HANDS WITH U.S. AND TURKISH OFFICIALS AND LEAVING VARIOUS OF POLICE STANDING GUARD VARIOUS OF MOTORCADE LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 22nd April 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • City:
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA7WWK5R696VILBOVXN23RVIN0O
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Istanbul on Sunday (April 7) for talks with Turkish leaders as part of a trip to Western Europe and Asia to consult allies on issues including Syria's civil war.
    Washington regards Turkey, which shares a 900 km (560-mile) border with Syria, as a pivotal player in backing the Syrian opposition and planning for an era after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
    A month ago, on his first visit to Turkey since taking office, Kerry criticized Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan for a comment likening Zionism to crimes against humanity, a spat that cast a shadow over talks between the NATO allies.
    But a few weeks later, U.S. President Barack Obama brokered a tentative reconciliation between Turkey and Israel during a trip to Israel. Israel bowed to a long-standing demand by Ankara, once a close strategic partner, to formally apologize for the killing of nine Turkish citizens in a 2010 naval raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.
    The rapprochement between the two U.S. allies could help regional coordination to contain spillover from the Syrian civil war and ease Israel's diplomatic isolation in the Middle East as it faces challenges posed by Iran's nuclear program.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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