TURKEY CALLS MID-EAST SUMMIT ON IRAQ

The Turkish Foreign Ministry could not confirm the summit report from the Anatolian news agency.
It said Turkey wanted the invited leaders to jointly sign and present the declaration.
A draft document would be given to each nation’s envoy to Ankara. Prime Minister Abdullah Gul was also preparing another tour of Middle Eastern states next week, although it was not immediately clear which states he would visit.
Earlier this month, Mr Gul visited several capitals in the region in an effort to build consensus for a peaceful resolution of the stand-off between Washington and Baghdad.
Turkey, a NATO partner, is allowing US military experts to inspect its air bases and sea ports this week for possible use as staging points in the event that America bombs Baghdad.
If Turkey allows US troops on its soil, it could cut the duration of any war against Iraq and lessen the number of potential US casualties, analysts say.
Though the focus of any military action might be from the south of Iraq, a "second front" opened from Turkish frontiers in the north could greatly assist US operations.