WASHINGTON
A possible two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict would require Israel to return to borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East war, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
In search for a solution to the long-boiling conflict, Erdogan referred to the 'four proposals' of the Middle East Quartet, comprising the United Nations (UN), the United States (US), the European Union (UN) and Russia.
- "The most important of those four proposals was the number one, which is the issue of borders," Erdogan told a gathering of press members after his address at Washington-based think tank Brookings Institution. "It is requisite that Israel return to '67 borders."
"The two-state solution was always at the forefront of discussions regarding the conflict, now we see that some of those who accept the Israeli state cannot say yes to a Palestinian state," Erdogan said. "What to talk about peace unless Israel accepts a Palestinian state first?"
Erdogan said Turkey approached the conflict as if it were a domestic issue.
"I don't say 'it's a domestic issue for us' but we approach it with that sensitivity," he said.
-Hamas-Fatah reconciliation-
"First and foremost, we need to see a reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah," Erdogan said. "I don't believe a conclusion can be reached in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process unless they agree."
Erdogan said Turkey could do a lot to bring the two Palestinian groups together.
"We're on good terms with both Hamas and Fatah and communicate well with both. As far as we're concerned, there is no difference between them, all are our brothers," he said.
-Syrian sufferings 'must be addressed at UN'-
- According to NATO findings, Syria shot 283 rockets and purportedly used a chemical weapon called sarin, Erdogan said.
-No-fly zone-
A no-fly zone over Syria would only be enforced by the decision of the Security Council, not through a joint action by the United States and Turkey, Erdogan said, adding the planned peace talks, the second round of the 'Geneva process', would be backed by his country.
The first Geneva process last June brought together major powers under the same roof, only to end in a failure to call for the ouster of embattled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, and saw the countries agree instead on a plan for political transition with little practical value. Erdogan had then described the talks as a "vain attempt."
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/181404--israel-must-return-to-67-borders-turkish-premier
17/5/13
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Turkish premier voices caution over 'tie-mending' with Israel....Erdogan warned relations cannot be restored unless Turkey's demands are met....
ReplyDeleteWASHINGTON
Turkey's prime minister on Friday said his country's relations with Israel cannot go back to normal unless the Jewish state met Ankara's three key demands to restore ties.
"This a process that has just begun and we are at the beginning of the road. We had three headlines here: The first one is apology, which has been solved. The second is compensation, which is still being discussed. And third is the lifting of the embargo on Palestine. Without these three, we won't take those steps," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a Washington conference on "Global Order and Justice in the 21st Century" at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA).
Relations between the two former allies in the Middle East spent three years at a historic low after a deadly raid Israeli commandos conducted on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May 2010 killed eight Turks and a Turkish-American national.
In March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended a US-brokered apology and the two countries' officials have held at least two rounds of talks over flotilla compensation.
-Civilian massacres in Syria-
Erdogan accused international community of being a bystander and watching from the sidelines civilian massacres in Syria, saying that world needed "a new order of justice".
"A global system that remains mute to massacres in Syria cannot claim to be fair and humanitarian," he said, adding that the United Nations should be overhauled to have "a system that produces justice unless it cannot offer peace to humanity."
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/181430--turkish-premier-voices-caution-over-tie-mending-with-israel
18/5/13
Erdogan: Palestinian unity is imperative for peace process....
ReplyDeleteA reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas is imperative to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, AFP reported.
"The process of unity between Fatah and Hamas, this has to be achieved. If this reconciliation is not achieved, then I don't believe that a solution or result will come out of the Israeli-Palestinian discussions," said the Turkish prime minister, who is currently visiting the US.
On Thursday, Erdogan said he intends to go ahead with plans to visit the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in June, where he will meet with both Hamas rulers and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
"I place a lot of significance on this visit in terms of peace in the Middle East. I'm hoping that that visit will contribute to unity in Palestine," Erdogan said at a joint press conference with US President Barack Obama on Thursday.
It is believed Erdogan decided to meet with Palestinian Authority leaders as well in order to pacify the Americans, who object to his visit to the Strip.
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Erdogan-Palestinian-unity-is-imperative-for-peace-process-313508
18/5/13