Tweet
Turkish Premier Visits Beirut For Talks
German Press Agency, Germany
Jan 3 2007
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Beirut on
Wednesday for a one-day visit to Lebanon during which he was to meet
with senior officials including embattled Prime Minister Fouad Seniora
and Damascus-backed President Emile Lahoud, officials said.
The Turkish premier was also scheduled to visit Turkish troops serving
with the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon later Wednesday.
Erdogan first met with Seniora and was later scheduled to meet Lahoud
as well as parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri and parliamentary majority
leader Saad Hariri during his one-day visit to the country.
"Turkey is working towards achieving peace and stability in the
Middle East region," a member of the Turkish delegation told Deutsche
Press-agentur, dpa.
Erdogan had last month visited Iran and Syria, the two main allies
of Lebanon's Hezbollah-led opposition which is currently engaged in
a political standoff with the pro-Western government. A Lebanese
government source said that Erdogan sought to help Lebanon out of
its political deadlock.
Hezbollah has been since December 1 leading a mass sit-in in central
Beirut which is aimed at toppling Seniora's government.
Erdogan's visit to the country has however drawn criticism from the
Armenian community in Lebanon over Turkey's refusal to recognize the
mass killings of Armenians from 1915 and 1917 as genocide
Some 100 Lebanese of Armenian heritage were seen demonstrating
Wednesday morning near Beirut airport. Leaders of the Armenian
political parties, Ramgafar, Hanshak and Tashnak, also expressed
their objections to Erdogan's talks in Lebanon.
The parties pointed out that "Armenians all over the world are still
demanding that Turkey acknowledge the Armenian genocide, present
compensations to the people and restore their rights."
Turkey in October assigned 261 soldiers to the United Nations Interim
Force in southern Lebanon to help reconstruction following the summer
2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.
German Press Agency, Germany
Jan 3 2007
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Beirut on
Wednesday for a one-day visit to Lebanon during which he was to meet
with senior officials including embattled Prime Minister Fouad Seniora
and Damascus-backed President Emile Lahoud, officials said.
The Turkish premier was also scheduled to visit Turkish troops serving
with the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon later Wednesday.
Erdogan first met with Seniora and was later scheduled to meet Lahoud
as well as parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri and parliamentary majority
leader Saad Hariri during his one-day visit to the country.
"Turkey is working towards achieving peace and stability in the
Middle East region," a member of the Turkish delegation told Deutsche
Press-agentur, dpa.
Erdogan had last month visited Iran and Syria, the two main allies
of Lebanon's Hezbollah-led opposition which is currently engaged in
a political standoff with the pro-Western government. A Lebanese
government source said that Erdogan sought to help Lebanon out of
its political deadlock.
Hezbollah has been since December 1 leading a mass sit-in in central
Beirut which is aimed at toppling Seniora's government.
Erdogan's visit to the country has however drawn criticism from the
Armenian community in Lebanon over Turkey's refusal to recognize the
mass killings of Armenians from 1915 and 1917 as genocide
Some 100 Lebanese of Armenian heritage were seen demonstrating
Wednesday morning near Beirut airport. Leaders of the Armenian
political parties, Ramgafar, Hanshak and Tashnak, also expressed
their objections to Erdogan's talks in Lebanon.
The parties pointed out that "Armenians all over the world are still
demanding that Turkey acknowledge the Armenian genocide, present
compensations to the people and restore their rights."
Turkey in October assigned 261 soldiers to the United Nations Interim
Force in southern Lebanon to help reconstruction following the summer
2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.