Iranian president arrives in Turkey

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived Thursday in Istanbul for his first visit to Turkey as president of Iran.

During a meeting, Ahmadinejad and his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, failed to agree on the details of a proposed pipeline to carry natural gas from Iran to Turkey, Hurriyet reported.

The visit was moved to Istanbul because Ahmadinejad angered many Turks by refusing to visit the mausoleum in Ankara of Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of the secular Turkish state. Turkish leaders also said Ahmadinejad was on a "working visit," not an official one.

Ahmadinejad and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan were scheduled to hold discussions Friday. Iran's nuclear program is expected to be a major topic, with Turkey -- a member of NATO -- urged by the United States to use its influence on Ahmadinejad.

Another topic expected to come up is possible cooperation against the Kurdish Workers Party of PKK. Both Iran and Turkey have substantial Kurdish minorities.