ANKARA - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced yesterday that a delegation led by Ankara's ambassador to Israel would visit the site of the Mugrabi ascent in the near future. The delegation will investigate whether the walkway causes damage to the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy sites on the Temple Mount.

At a joint press conference with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Erdogan said that the visiting Israeli leader had presented him with a "detailed picture of the area," but that "the pictures do not convince me 100 percent." Erdogan explained that sending a delegation was necessary, because it was impossible to accept the Israeli position "only on the basis of the photographs."

	Advertisement

Olmert agreed to the Turkish delegation's visit, because "Israel has nothing to hide."

"We shall cooperate with everyone and we will be happy to host the delegation, in order to show that the Israeli version is correct and accurate," Olmert added.

Prior to Olmert's arrival in Ankara, Erdogan had said that the work near the Temple Mount was "having a negative effect on the region."

At an earlier press conference, Olmert said that Iran was not as close to the developing nuclear technology as it claimed to be.

"To the best of my knowledge, they [the Iranians] are not close to the technological level they claim," he said at a meeting with Israeli reporters who accompanied him on the visit to Turkey.

The prime minister added that the sanctions on Iran were beginning to bear fruit. "The steps undertaken to date are beginning to have an effect on Iran," he said.

Criticizing the European Union's effort to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear project, Olmert argued that "if the international community made the effort to prevent the continuation of the Iranian program, it would stand a chance [of succeeding]."

For his part, Erdogan said that his country "was approaching the issue in a positive matter. We have [our own] sensitivities regarding uranium enrichment."

Erdogan said that Turkey was planning to develop nuclear projects for civilian use and said that "enrichment of uranium for other purposes is unacceptable."

Olmert described the stance of the Turkish prime minister on the Iranian nuclear program as "encouraging."

Erdogan also hinted that Ankara was planning to mediate between Damascus and Jerusalem, but Olmert said he had not received a specific proposal from the Turkish prime minister regarding this issue. Olmert's general tone on this issue was skeptical.

"We will discuss these issues, we will carry out this service, which is our obligation, for the sake of peace," Erdogan said, referring to the talks between Ankara and Damascus in coming weeks.

"Our position on Syria is known," Olmert said. "We will be glad to have peace with Syria and we will be even happier if Syria relinquishes its support for terrorism and accepts the principles established by the international community, which will make it much easier for us to talk with it."

During his meeting with Erdogan, Olmert asked the Turkish prime minister to convey the request of Eli Cohen's widow to Syria: to transfer the spy's remains to Israel for burial.