Peres in Turkey to address Parliament with Abbas

Israeli President Shimon Peres arrived in Turkey on Sunday to address Parliament with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, just weeks before Israelis and Palestinians are expected to sit down at a US-sponsored peace conference. Peres on Tuesday will be the first Israeli President ever to speak before the legislature of a Muslim country. Abbas is expected to address the Turkish legislators later the same day.

Turkey, a NATO member and Israel8217;s closest ally in the Islamic world, has in the past played the role of mediator between the Jewish state and its Muslim neighbours. The US-backed peace conference is expected to take place in Annapolis, Maryland, late November with the aim of relaunching Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

8220;Turkey can play a first-tier role in the peace process,8221; Peres said in Jerusalem, adding that the country8217;s moderate and democratic nature served as a counterweight to the extremist Islam embodied by Iran. Israeli PM Ehud Olmert called the president8217;s visit to Turkey 8220;extraordinary.8221;

8220;This is the first time the Israeli President has been invited to speak in a Muslim Parliament, in a Muslim country,8221; he said.

Abbas will arrive in Turkey on Monday and is expected to discuss Turkey8217;s plans to set up a large industrial park in the West Bank that could provide jobs for thousands of Palestinians.