Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC January 18, 2007 Under Secretary Burns to Travel to Turkey and the Middle EastUnder Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns will visit Turkey, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and the United Arab Emirates January 18-23, 2007. In Ankara January 18-19, he is meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gul as well as other Turkish diplomatic and defense officials to discuss bilateral and regional issues. Turkey is a valued NATO ally and Under Secretary Burns will discuss Iraq, Iran, and bilateral issues with Turkish officials. He will assert strong U.S. support for Turkey's defense against attacks by the PKK. Under Secretary Burns will then travel to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where he will meet with Prime Minister Olmert and other Israeli officials. He will lead the U.S. delegation to the U.S.-Israel Strategic Dialogue talks focusing on the Middle East, including the challenge posed by Iran. Under Secretary Burns will also meet with Palestinian officials in Jerusalem. On January 22-23, he will visit Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he will meet with UAE Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al Maktoum, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nayhan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan to discuss regional and bilateral issues. 2007/037 |