U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry 's second visit to Turkey on Sunday would prepare the ground for Turkish prime minister's upcoming visit to Washington next month, analysts said.

"There are a lot of regional issues that the U.S. wants to work with Turkey, and Kerry's visit was expected to smooth out differences between Washington and Ankara on the eve of their high- profile meeting," Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, professor of international relations at Ankara-based Gazi University, told Xinhua.

For example, the United States is much concerned for the fragile rapprochement between Turkey and Israel, its two close allies.

"The question as to how the relationship [between Turkey and Israel] will proceed from now on demonstrates the importance of diplomacy in the short term," said Emrah Usta, Istanbul-based political analyst. "Bilateral relations will improve if Israel lifts its blockade on Gaza, or allows the passage of humanitarian cargo to the area."

The United States also wants to see Turkey engaged in long- stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, since Ankara has strong relations with both Hamas and Fatah, said some analysts. The United States is concerned for Turkey's involvement in hydrocarbon resources in northern Iraq's Kurdish region at the expense of federal government in Baghdad, while Ankara claims that Turkish energy companies are operating within the existing legal framework.

"I think the U.S. is trying to convince both (Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-)Maliki and Erdogan to repair their ties so that the U.S. initiatives in the Middle East will have less challenges ahead," said Erol.

Erdogan's long-awaited visit to Washington was set for May 16. Endi

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