Turkish Prime Minister endorses Pakistan's demand

Turkish Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan yesterday endorsed Pakistan's demand for an apology by the US over the killing of 24 soldiers in an air attack in November at the Salala check on the border with Afghanistan.

Addressing a joint news conference with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the Turkish leader, however, advocated that the dispute over the six-month old closure of Nato supply routes should be resolved through talks.

"As a member of Nato, Turkey believes that such issues should be resolved through mutual dialogue," Erdogan said.

Gilani said a final decision to reopen Nato supply lines through Pakistan and its timing would be made in line with the recommendations of the parliament.

The parliament recently gave guidelines for new terms of engagement with the US and Nato, including an unconditional US apology over the Salala attack and cessation of drone attacks on Pakistan soil.

Gilani and Erdogan co-chaired the second meeting of the bilateral High-Level Cooperation Council and agreed to boost ties between the two countries in all sectors, particularly security, energy, communication, trade and culture.

During the 90-minute meeting the two leaders discussed expansion of the cooperation in multiple fields.