Kerry meets Abbas to push ahead Mideast peace

ISTANBUL, April 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday met with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas here in Istanbul to push ahead Middle East peace efforts.

Kerry arrived in Istanbul Saturday for a meeting of core members of the "Friends of Syria" and announced a series of U.S. non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition during the meeting.

Leaving Conrad Hotel where the close-door meeting was held, Abbas made no comments on the talks with the U.S. top diplomat, who is working on a plan to boost the Palestinian economy as part of efforts to restore trust between the Palestinians and Israel.

Abbas is on his visit to Turkey for talks with top Turkish officials, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the latter's announcement about his intention to visit the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip next month has sparked wide concerns.

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