THE TURKISH OFFICIALS STRESSED U.S. SHOULD "GIVE UP SUPPORTING ISRAEL"
PanARMENIAN.Net
26.02.2009 23:55 GMT+04:00
The new U.S. administration broke its silence over the Davos crisis
urging Turkey to fix its strained relations with Israel, while Turkey
reiterated its position that a solution to the Middle East issue is
impossible without including Hamas, Hurriyet Daily News reports.
As it is mentioned in the article, the exchange of messages came
during the talks that George Mitchell, the Middle East envoy of
the U.S. President Barack Obama, held during his two-day visit to
Ankara. Mitchell met with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan on Thursday.
Mitchell said Turkey can have a significant influence on the
U.S. efforts to reach a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
"As an important democratic nation with strong relations with Israel,
Turkey has a unique role to play and can have significant influence
on our efforts to promote comprehensive peace in the Middle East,"
he told reporters after his meeting with Erdogan.
Mitchell underlined that "Turkey is an important ally of the U.S." and
the Washington administration welcomes Turkey’s decision to attend
a donors conference on Gaza scheduled on March 2 in Egypt.
According to the Turkish agency, during the meeting, diplomatic sources
said, Turkey reiterated its stance that a peace agreement cannot be
reached without including Hamas in the equation. The Turkish officials
stressed that the U.S. should "give up supporting Israel", according
to the diplomatic sources. Turkey urged the U.S. to pursue a balanced
diplomacy in the Middle East after "a too pro-Israel approach of the
George W. Bush administration," sources added.
"I told Hamas to recognize 1993 Oslo peace negotiations because
continuity is of vital importance in state policies. We have urged
Hamas to take into account that continuity," Erdogan told Mitchell.
Erdogan also said that Turkish government was pleased with efforts
of the Obama administration for quest of a longlasting solution in
the Middle East.
However, he said the Turkish government expected international and
U.S. efforts to open border crossings to Gaza to supply humanitarian
aid to 50,000 Palestinian people who are living in tents.