Israeli businessmen: We have to hide to trade in Turkey Israeli

Today’s Zaman
08.03.2007

businessmen said during a Turkey-Israel joint economic council meeting
on Wednesday that certain companies with Jewish capital had to conceal
their actual identities to operate in Turkey because of anti-Semitic
sentiment.

Turkish State Minister for Foreign Trade K?Ã?¼r?Å?at T?Ã?¼zmen, however, denied
this claim and said there were many Israeli companies trading in Turkey
and that discrimination against Jewish capital was out of question.

Israeli businessmen expressed their complaints at the meeting, attended
by a T?Ã?¼zmen-led delegation of Turkish businessmen.

T?Ã?¼zmen responded to reporters’ questions regarding the issue during a
visit to Masjid al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock. T?Ã?¼zmen stated that
Turks’ tolerance toward Jews was well known and added that Israeli
businessmen were not discriminated against. He noted that Jewish
investors had major representatives in Turkey.

`Jewish businessmen occupy a significant position in Turkey.
Discrimination against them is out of question,’ he said.

T?Ã?¼zmen also noted that Israeli businessmen had expressed their support
for Turkey regarding a Armenian genocide resolution presented to the US
House of Representatives. The clout of the Jewish lobby in the US is
well known, T?Ã?¼zmen said. `They expressed significant support,’ he said.

`We are sensitive about Harem al-Sharif’

T?Ã?¼zmen said while visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque that a review board would
go to Jerusalem to make assessments on construction of a bridge at Harem
al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary). He said Turkish Ambassador to Israel Nam?Ä?±k
Tan was the one pursuing the issue. T?Ã?¼zmen underlined the sensitivity in
the Islamic world over the issue. T?Ã?¼zmen also visited the Kubbet
el-Sahra Mosque and prayed there.

08.03.2007

H?Ã?¼seyin S?Ã?¼mer Jerusalem

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