In Ankara the P. Tilerson Thursday - will not meet with Turkish opposition

The US Secretary of Rex Tilerson will meet with members of the Turkish opposition groups during the one-day visit to Ankara this week, where talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will focus on the war in Syria, said senior executives State Department yesterday.

The day after tomorrow visit will become a politically sensitive time in Turkey as the country prepares for the referendum on April 16 to change the Constitution to expand the jurisdiction of Erdogan. A senior State Department said that Tilerson will meet with Erdogan and cabinet members involved in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria.

"It's certainly something we are very aware of, and the minister will have it to the attention of as lying there," said member of the ministry in a teleconference with reporters, referring to political sensitivities before the referendum.

US officials expect Erdogan and others to raise the issue of cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the US and which accuses the Turkish government that organized the failed coup last July.

Talks in Ankara will focus on allied company under US leadership that is trying to recapture the Pakala from IK and stabilize areas where the jihadists are expelled, allowing refugees to return, said the officials.