Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Sunday that Israel's declaration of one-sided cease-fire is a "positive" first step, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

Gul made the remarks prior to his departure from Ankara's Esenboga International Airport for Egypt's Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh, where a multi-national meeting on Gaza would take place on Sunday afternoon.

Gul was quoted as saying that "now, the cease-fire must be mutual and permanent" and "we must try to make the Israelis withdraw from Gaza completely."

According to the Turkish president, the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting would be attended by leaders from both some regional countries in the Middle East and the European Union (EU).

Gul stressed we must make efforts to find a just and permanent solution to the Palestinian issue, considering an end to the human tragedy in Gaza, as well as re-construction of Gaza, especially its schools and hospitals, as priorities of international efforts.

More than 1,240 Palestinians have been killed in the impoverished Gaza Strip and over 5,000 wounded since the launch of the Israeli raid on December 27, which it said was aimed at revenging Hamas rocket and mortar attacks.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2009)