Palestinian President arrives in Turkey

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas arrived here on Thursday for a gathering with his envoys abroad ahead of a Palestinian bid for UN recognition. Abbas is to meet with Palestinian ambassadors, convening in Istanbul at the weekend, before leaving Turkey on Saturday afternoon, a Turkish diplomat said earlier Thursday. He is also to have talks with Turkey''s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who have been invited to the meeting. The Istanbul gathering of the ambassadors comes ahead of a planned Palestinian bid for a recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September amid a long stalemate in peace talks with Israel.