ANKARA, Turkey?Vice President Dick Cheney ended an 11-nation Mideast tour Wednesday by promising Turkey financial aid for peacekeeping in Afghanistan.

Cheney said he hoped Turkey would agree to lead the force, now being run by Britain. But he failed to win the key NATO ally’s support for a tougher policy against neighbor Iraq.

The message Cheney received from Arab leaders regarding Iraq was to give diplomacy a chance, an Arab diplomat said.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan plans to meet with a senior Iraqi official next month about permitting U.N. weapons inspectors to return to Iraq.

If Iraq rejects weapons inspections, the Bush administration would have a better case for military action.

Meanwhile, the Arab League holds a pivotal meeting next week in Beirut, Lebanon and is expected to endorse a Middle East peace initiative by Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.