CIA Chief Meets Erdogan on Syrian Crisis
CIA chief David Petraeus met Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday for closed-door talks focusing on the crisis across the border in Syria.
Petraeus, director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, also discussed the latest developments in neighboring Iran and efforts to counter Kurdish rebels attacking Turkey from safe havens in northern Iraq, said NTV television channel.
U.S. embassy spokesman T.J. Grubisha said Petraeus met with Erdogan and Turkish National Intelligence Organization chief Hakan Fidan and "discussed areas of mutual concern, including regional security issues and counter-terrorism cooperation.
"They foresee even closer and more fruitful cooperation on the region's most pressing issues in the coming months."
Erdogan has been fiercely critical of the Syrian regime's year-long crackdown on the opposition and has called on President Bashar al-Assad to quit.
The talks were not part of Erdogan's official itinerary. The premier's office declined to comment on the report.
Source: Agence France Presse
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