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UN chief urges Turkey and Israel to fix ties
[Al Jazeera] Turkey and Israel should improve their diplomatic ties and accept the recommendations of a UN report which looked into the deaths of nine Turks in the Israeli attack on a Gazoo-bound ship, the UN secretary-general has said.
 the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... said strong ties between Turkey and Israel, which both share a border with Syria, were important for the Middle East. "I sincerely hope that Israel and Turkey will improve their relationship," Ban told news hounds in Canberra, Australia, on Saturday after talks with Julia Gillard, the Australian prime minister. "Both countries are very important countries in the region. Their improved relationship, normal relationship, will be very important in addressing all the situations in the Middle East, including the Middle East grinding of the peace processor." Ban said he would make no comment on the specifics of the report, written by a panel headed by Geoffrey Palmer, a former New Zealand prime minister. "My only wish is that they should try to improve their relationship and do whatever they can to implement the recommendations and findings of this panel's report," he said. The report found Israel's naval blockade of the Gazoo Strip was "legal", but that Israel used unreasonable force when its commandos raided the ship, despite meeting strong resistance from those on board. The rift between Turkey and Israel comes despite US efforts to encourage a rapprochement between the two regional powers whose co-operation it needs to address changes sweeping the Middle East. Posted by: Fred 2011-09-04 |
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