European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana was in Turkey Thursday for talks on the Gaza conflict and the situation in the region, the Turkish foreign ministry said.
Solana, who earlier this week visited Egypt and Israel in a bid to broker a truce, will meet President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a statement said.
In remarks Wednesday on Spanish radio, Solana said Egypt's invitation to Israel to discuss the Gaza offensive could "bear fruit in the coming hours."
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday invited Israel to an urgent meeting to discuss security on the Egypt-Gaza border - an issue Israel says is key to ending its offensive in Gaza.
"Diplomatic activity is currently at its zenith, and we have to see if we are capable all together of making efforts that would allow an immediate stop to hostilities," Solana said.
Israeli officials have said that they viewed the Egyptian initiative positively and would send an envoy to Cairo for further talks.
The Israeli offensive in Gaza, which began on Dec. 27, has so far killed more than 700 Palestinians and wounded over 3,000, according to Gaza medics.
Turkey, one of Israel's few Muslim allies, has harshly criticized the Jewish State for what it called disproportionate use of force and called for an immediate ceasefire.