Kerry urges Turkey, Israel to normalise relations

Visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday urged here Turkish leaders to speedily restore full diplomatic relations with Israel, saying Washington sees both countries as anchor of stability in the Middle East. The top U.S. diplomat made the remarks at a press conference shortly after his talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in the coastal city of Istanbul, the first leg of his third trip to the Middle East in one month. Kerry called on the two countries, both important U.S. allies, to send back their ambassadors to each other as soon as possible, adding the Turkish-Israeli cooperation will help tackle challenges confronting the region. Speaking of Iran's nuclear program, Kerry said "diplomacy is a painful task" in light of the talks between Iran and the world powers in Kazakhstan that ended on Saturday without any breakthrough. The U.S. official urged Iran to take simple steps in order to prove its intention on nuclear program is peaceful while stressing the process of talks could not continue for ever.