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World

Turkish PM Davutoglu kicks off 1st round of coalition talks, meets with pro-secular party

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu pays respects at the grave of the first Bosnian president Alija Izetbegovic in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Friday, July 10, 2015. Dvaoutoglu is in Bosnia for a two-day visit to mark the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, the worst crime in Europe after the Nazi era, which will take place in Srebrenica on Saturday, July 11, 2015.(AP Photo/Sulejman Omerbasic) (The Associated Press)

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    Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu pays his respects at the grave of the first Bosnian president Alija Izetbegovic, in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Friday, July 10, 2015. Dvaoutoglu is in Bosnia for a two-day visit to mark the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, the worst crime in Europe after the Nazi era, which will take place in Srebrenica on Saturday, July 11, 2015.(AP Photo/Sulejman Omerbasic) (The Associated Press)

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey's prime minister has begun a first round of talks on forming a coalition government by meeting members of Turkey's secularist party — the main rival to his ruling Islamic-rooted party.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Republican People's Party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu on Monday, a month after Turkey's June 7 election left his party short of a majority.

This coalition-building process in Turkey is fraught with obstacles, including determining the role of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who remains a dominant force despite laws that require him to be neutral. Smaller parties have made reining him in a priority for any alliance.

Davutoglu plans to talk to nationalist party leaders on Tuesday and the pro-Kurdish party on Wednesday. A second round of talks is expected next week.