Weapons sent by Western countries to forces fighting Islamic militants in Iraq may end up in the hands of Kurdish rebels in Turkey, Turkish foreign minister warned on Monday.

Turkish riot police on Sunday fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters in Istanbul, a day after 10 workers were killed when a lift crashed to the ground from the 32nd storey of a building.

The government of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu won a vote of confidence in parliament on Saturday, little over a week after the former chief diplomat was crowned to take over from long-time premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) last week approved Davutoglu as successor to Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey as premier for over a decade with Islamic-tinted and development-focused policies and who was sworn in as president on Thursday.

A ministerial panel following up on the case of the abducted troops convened on Friday amid a boycott by the hostages' families, as the Islamic State group accused Qatari mediators of maneuvering and “obstructing the negotiations” before eventually meeting with them.

“Prime Minister (Tammam) Salam expressed his relief over the political consensus that was demonstrated during the (Thursday) cabinet session regarding the principles that must govern the issue,” Defense Minister Samir Moqbel told reporters after the meeting.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq will tackle the case of the abducted Lebanese soldiers and policemen, who were taken hostage by Islamist gunmen in the northeastern border town of Arsal, with Gulf senior officials.

According to As Safir newspaper on Friday, General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim will accompany Mashnouq to the Qatari capital Doha during the weekend.

Turkey has arrested 19 militants affiliated with the Islamic State in its southern province of Gaziantep bordering Syria, its governor said on Thursday.

Gaziantep province governor Erdal Ata vehemently denied claims that the region was being used as a rear base for IS militants, saying Turkey was doing all it can to arrest or deport suspected IS members.

A Turkish policeman was jailed for seven years and nine months on Wednesday after being convicted of shooting dead a protester during 2013 anti-government protests, a verdict denounced as lenient by relatives of the victim.

With several similar cases pending, the trial of Ahmet Sahbaz was seen as a crucial test of the authorities' willingness to prosecute police brutality under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The World Food Program said on Tuesday that it provided food to a record 4.1 million people inside Syria last month.

The U.N. agency said it was able to reach more people because of a Security Council resolution adopted in July that authorized the movement of humanitarian aid to Syrians in rebel-held areas without government approval.

Turkey's new Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday vowed to seek a peace deal with Kurdish rebels with new vigor and pursue an assertive foreign policy where Ankara would set its own agenda.

Davutoglu, the former foreign minister who took over as premier from new President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, reaffirmed ambitious goals to make Turkey a top 10 global economy and member of the EU by 2023 as he presented the program of his new government.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday visited breakaway northern Cyprus and pressed for a two-state solution on the divided island, on his first trip abroad since his inauguration.

Erdogan flew in on Turkey's new presidential plane, an Airbus delivered last week that has already been painted in the national colors and dubbed by the press as his "Air Force One."