Ankara - Two milita

Ankara - A faulty altimeter is the most likely cause of last week's crash at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport of a Turkish Airlines plane which left nine people dead and more than 80 injured, investigators said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference in The Hague, the Dutch Safety Board chairman Pieter van Vollenhoven said that examination of the so-called "black box" flight data recorder revealed that the Boeing 737-800's left altimeter was faulty.

Ankara - Turkish Airlines Tuesday announced that it was prepared to immediately pay compensation to the families of those killed and all surviving passengers on board flight TK 1951 which crashed while approaching Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport last week.

Ankara - Syria wants Turkey to continue in its role as a mediator in the now-stalled indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel, NTV television reported on Tuesday.

Before the indirect talks could begin again, a new government must be formed in Israel and the humanitarian crisis suffered by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip must end, NTV quoted Turkish Foreign Ministry officials.

Ankara - The United states on Thursday welcomed Turkey's commitment to peace in the Middle East saying that the country had a "unique role" to play in the region said George Mitchell, the US special envoy for the Middle East.

"Turkey is a crucial ally of the United States and an important force for the peace and security in the Middle East," Mitchell said in Ankara after talks with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.