Hamas chief in Turkey to meet Erdoğan

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal arrived in Turkey today to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

"The prime minister will meet with Meshaal at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT)," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The meeting was not on Erdoğan's daily itinerary distributed to the press.

The Islamic-conservative government led by Erdoğan is at odds with Israel, and an ardent defender of the Palestinian cause for establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and many Western countries, but not by Turkey.