Erdogan Says Recognizing Palestine an Obligation, Expresses Deep Desire to Visit Gaza

Erdogan: Recognizing Palestine 'an obligation'

Ma'an, 14/09/2011 12:35

Gaza Strip. [AFP/Mahmud Hams] CAIRO (AFP) --

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a fervent critic of Israel, said in Egypt Tuesday recognition of a Palestinian state is not an option but an "obligation."

Addressing Arab foreign ministers as he kicked off a three-nation Arab Spring, the Turkish premier also said governments should not use force to repress the legitimate demands of their people.

And he reiterated that strained ties with Israel will not improve unless Tel Aviv apologizes over the death of nine Turks killed in a raid on an aid flotilla that tried to break the Israeli-imposed blockade of Gaza.

"Recognizing the Palestinian state is not an option, it is an obligation," Erdogan said at Arab League headquarters in Cairo, as the Palestinians seek support for a UN membership bid they plan to launch next week.

"Before the end of this year we will see Palestine at the United Nations in a very different situation," he said. "It is time for the flag of Palestine to be hoisted at the United Nations."

The Palestinians are preparing to submit a formal request to become the 194th member of the United Nations when the General Assembly begins its meetings on September 20, despite US and Israeli opposition.

The Palestinian bid has triggered controversy.

US President Barack Obama on Monday said it was a "distraction" that would not result in viable statehood while Russia said it will back the Palestinians as the European Union remains divided.

Late on Monday, a small group of Arab foreign ministers led by Qatar's top diplomat agreed to marshal support for the Palestinian bid.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said as he chaired Tuesday's Arab League meeting that the Palestinian cause "is the main challenge" facing the 22-member bloc.

"We thank all the countries that have recognized the Palestinian state and we look forward to [further] support for the Palestinian bid for UN membership," Sheikh Hamad said.

Some 127 countries recognized Palestine as an independent state and the Palestinians hope to garner more than 160 votes at the General Assembly for their cause and would not spare an effort to seek full UN membership.

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said Monday "consultations and communications will continue in order to reach the goal" of Palestinian UN membership.

Erdogan, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause who has become a strident critic of longtime ally Israel, said Turkey and the Arabs must "work hand in hand with our Palestinian brothers."

"The Palestinian cause is the cause of human dignity," said Erdogan.

Turning to Israel, Erdogan said: "It is out of the question for Turkey to normalize ties with Israel" unless it apologizes for last year's deadly flotilla raid, pays compensation and lifts a blockade imposed on Gaza.

"Israel sees itself above the law," he said, accusing Tel Aviv of "turning a deaf ear" to Turkey's demands."

Earlier this month Ankara expelled the Israeli ambassador and suspended all military ties and defense trade over Israel's refusal to apologize for the flotilla raid, in which nine Turks were killed.

Much admired on the Arab street, Erdogan is on an Arab Spring tour of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya where pro-democracy uprisings unseated veteran autocratic leaders.

About 3,000 people greeted him at Cairo airport when he arrived late Monday with his wife, children, six cabinet ministers and a huge business delegation to bolster ties with the most populous Arab nation.

On Tuesday he said at the Arab League that "the legitimate demands of the people cannot be repressed with force and in blood," in reference to the uprisings that swept Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and continue to rock Syria.

"Freedom and democracy and human rights must be a united slogan for the future of our people," he said.

Erdogan's visit to Cairo is his first since the ouster of veteran President Hosni Mubarak in February and he was to meet some of the young activists who spearheaded the popular uprising as well as the new authorities.

Late on Monday, Arab foreign ministers agreed to marshal support for the Palestinian bid.

Erdogan expresses deep desire to visit Gaza

[ 13/09/2011 - 07:19 PM ]

CAIRO, (PIC)--

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his deep desire to visit the besieged Gaza Strip as he has kicked off a tour of Arab Spring states in Egypt, but he said he did not want to burden the Egyptians with the visit.

He said that it was one of his greatest desires to visit Gaza, adding that he said to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas "Let us go together to Gaza .. the three of us (Erdogan, Abbas and Haneyya)".

Erdogan appeared on Egypt’s Dream TV Monday night, declaring “my spirit is with you and I have hope that my body will be with you, but I don’t want to burden the Egyptians with my visit to Gaza,” in a statement directed at the people of Gaza.

Also in the recorded meeting, Erdogan defended his verbal clash in 2009 with Israeli President Shimon Peres at Davos, saying the move was in support of what was right and that Israel was not working for peace.

Erdogan went on to further criticize Israel, calling it the “West’s spoiled child”.

“To this day it has never executed a decision by the international community,” the PM said.

He added that it is no longer possible to restore relations with Israel, and that Turkey is seeking to freeze all agreements with the occupying regime.

But he said he was still seeking an apology over the death of nineTurks in Israel’s lethal attack on the Freedom Flotilla last year, as well as compensation for the casualties and an end to the Gaza siege.

He also vowed to petition for the Gazans in the International Court of Justice. Prime Minister Erdogan arrived in Cairo Monday evening, accompanied by his wife, his daughter, and seven members of the Turkish Cabinet. He was received at Cairo International Airport by his Egyptian counterpart Essam Sharaf, who also appeared with his wife, as well as others.

The real reason why Erdogan did not go ahead with Gaza visit

[ 14/09/2011 - 09:50 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Egyptians amassed outside the Cairo Opera House on Tuesday calling on visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to show support for the besieged Gaza Strip.

On Monday night, the PM made a television appearance expressing his deep desire to the visit the Gaza Strip but said he did not want to burden the Egyptians with the visit.

High-level diplomats said the reason why Erdogan decided not to take the trip to Gaza was because it would have put Egypt in a tight situation by him crossing the Rafah border crossing during the current diplomatic fallout with Israel.

The other reason was that Erdogan asked Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to go with him to Gaza during the visit together with Prime Minister Ismail Haneyya, the sources told the PIC.

They said Erdogan had spoken with Abbas prior to kicking off his recent tour of Arab Spring states to persuade him to go, but Abbas tried to dodge him on several occasions, saying that he would be busy in Egypt promoting the UN bid and with Arab League meetings.

According to Ibrahim al-Drawi, director of the Palestinian studies center in Cairo, Erdogan was also mulling over the possibility of visiting the Gaza Strip on board an aid convoy.

Meanwhile in Gaza, children gathered at the memorial of the Freedom Flotilla victims, Turks shot dead by Israeli commandos as they tried to defy Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. They raised pictures of PM Erdgoan, waved Turkish and Palestinian flags, and called on Erdogan to visit the Gaza Strip in solidarity with the Gazans living under Israeli siege for the past five years.

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.