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Turkish, Palestinian presidents meet ahead of Islamic summit

Xinhua,December 13, 2017 Adjust font size:

ISTANBUL, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on Tuesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Istanbul, one day before Islamic leaders meet in the city over how to respond to the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The closed-door meeting lasted for one hour, and no statement was made thereafter, Turkish media said.

Erdogan has called for an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for Wednesday in Istanbul in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.

On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticized some Arab countries for "refraining from challenging Trump," noting that the Islamic summit is seeking recognition of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Trump's move has sparked days of violent clashes in Gaza Strip and West Bank, while protests are continuing in other Arab countries. Enditem