The US was struggling to put aside misunderstandings between itself and Turkey, after officials in Ankara contradicted a claim by top officials that the two countries had reached a deal to give the Pentagon full use of a key Turkish airbase for strikes against Isis (Islamic State).
The conflicting narratives highlighted the tensions that have grown up between Ankara and Washington over both the rebellion against the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the subsequent emergence of Isis.
On Monday, US officials said a deal had been reached whereby Turkey would both engage in training several thousand moderate Syrian rebels within its borders and approve the use of Incirlik airbase near the Syrian border for attacks on Isis.
But while it appeared there might be agreement on training rebels, the question of using Incirlik appeared still to be in doubt.
Indeed, the office of Ahmet Davutoglu, the Prime Minister, told Reuters that there was no deal over Incirlik. The "talks, therefore, continue as we look into things we can do together while covering all these aspects", a Turkish official said.
