Quds city, May 1, SPA -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Israel on Sunday. Erdogan's trip here is the most high-profile visit to the region by a Turkish official since his Justice and Development Party came to power in 2002. Erdogan, who is accompanied by top officials and business leaders, is to meet Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, President Moshe Katsav and other top Israeli leaders. He is to sign a research and development agreement with Israel. Leaders from the two countries were also expected to work on a roughly US$400 million deal to have Israel upgrade 30 of Turkey's F-4 Phantom jets. On Monday, Erdogan is to visit the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third-holiest site. He is then to head to the West Bank city of Ramallah for meetings with Palestinian leaders. "In our meetings with the sides, we will remind (them of) our readiness for a possible go-between role or to host conferences in our country," Erdogan said in Ankara, Turkey, before his departure for Israel. "I hope our contacts will help carry our relations with both Palestine and Israel to new frontiers."
