US diplomat Burns to visit West Asia this week

WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns will visit Israel, the Palestinian Territories and the United Arab Emirates over the next week to discuss the West Asia, Iraq, Iran and other issues, the US State Department said today.

Burns visits Tel Aviv and Jerusalem this weekend for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials several days after a visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that sought to test the waters for a new push on Israel-Palestinian peace.

The State Department said in a statement that Burns' meetings with Israeli officials will also cover Iran, which Washington accuses of pursuing atomic weapons. Iran denies this, saying its program is for power generation.

Burns, who holds the third-ranking job at the State Department, visits Abu Dhabi and Dubai on Monday and Tuesday.

Burns began his trip today in Ankara, where he was to discuss regional issues with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and stress US support for Turkey's defense against attacks by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) separatist group.

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