Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday kicks off an ‘Arab Spring’ tour in Egypt, where a diplomatic flurry is underway ahead of a Palestinian push to win UN statehood and as Israel’s regional ties hit a new low. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is also visiting Cairo to attend an Arab League meeting later Monday and for talks with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who will stop in Egypt on her way to Israel. Turkey and Egypt are due to sign a “declaration of strategic cooperation,” during Erdogan’s first visit to Cairo since the former president Hosni Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising in February, the government daily Al-Ahram newspaper reported Monday, quoting Egypt’s envoy to Ankara.
