THE JERUSALEM POST: ERDOGAN-LED TURKEY CANNOT MEDIATE PEACE TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.02.2009 13:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan "has
lost all credibility as an honest broker in peace discussions,"
a senior Israeli official said.

"As long as he is the Prime Minister of the country, Turkey has no
place in peace negotiations or discussions. It is not a trustworthy
diplomatic partner anymore," The Jerusalem Post quoted the official
as saying.

The loss of the Turkish diplomatic channel was a serious blow to
discussions Israel and Syria and the Palestinians, according to
Israeli Foreign Ministry officials.

"The only possible mediator now is the new U.S. administration or
maybe the European Union," the source said.

Erdogan walked off the stage after an angry exchange with the Israeli
president, Shimon Peres, during a panel discussion on Gaza at the
World Economic Forum last Thursday, and vowed never to return to the
annual gathering.