Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem urged Israel and the Palestinians Tuesday to make "special" efforts to open the door for peace under recent proposals made by US President Bill Clinton.
Following telephone talks with US, Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian leaders on Monday, Cem said he "got the impression that positive developments have been recorded in last week's talks in Washington."
"The Israeli and Palestinian sides should not lose this momentum and should make special efforts to tackle the issue," he added.
Clinton, keen to strike a long-term deal before he leaves office next month, has given the two sides until Wednesday to decide on his proposals, which tackle some of the thorniest aspects of the conflict.
Cem said he had conversations with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and the foreign ministers of Israel and Egypt, Shlomo Ben Ami and Amr Mussa.
He added that human life, the well-being of the region and the future of Muslim holy sites were of primary importance for Turkey in a future peace accord.
He pledged that Ankara would continue to expend efforts for a successful conclusion in the Middle East peace process.
Predominantly Muslim Turkey has been Israel's main regional ally since 1996 when the two signed a military cooperation accord, much to the anger of most Arab countries and Iran.
But Turkey also backs Palestinian demands for statehood and has criticized Israel for using excessive force against the Palestinians -- ANKARA (AFP)
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