Photostream : Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meet in Ankara December 5, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Adem Altan/Pool )

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meet in Ankara December 5, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Adem Altan/Pool )

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meet in Ankara December 5, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Adem Altan/Pool )

Sources: Israel, Turkey meeting aimed at mending rift

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

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December 05, 2010 (KATAKAMI / CNN) -- Officials from Israel and Turkey met in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday in an attempt to reduce tensions between the two nations in the wake of an incident earlier this year involving an aid flotilla to Gaza, representatives from both countries said.

The meeting came about after Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan sent two firefighting planes Friday to Israel to aid in combating a deadly wildfire, according to a Turkish foreign ministry official.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly thanked Erdogan, then called him to thank him again, the official said. While on the telephone, Netanyahu said he hoped the two countries could discuss the state of their relationship in a different context, according to the official.

Yosef Ciechanover, an Israeli representative on a U.N. panel established to review the May 31 flotilla incident, traveled to Geneva for the meeting at Netanyhahu's request, according to an Israeli official.
"The two met in order to find ways to promote appeasement and diminish the tension between the two countries," the official said.

Another Israeli official said, "We regretted the deterioration of the relationship between the two countries and we of course like to see an improvement of the relations."

The Turkish foreign ministry officials said that Foreign Ministry undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu met with the Israeli representative.

Turkey was once Israel's strongest ally among Muslim nations, but the relationship between the two nations has been chilly since May 31, when Israeli forces intercepted an aid flotilla headed to Gaza from Turkey. Violence broke out, and nine Turkish activists were killed.

In September, the U.N. Human Rights Council concluded the Israeli forces committed serious violations of international law in the mid-sea interception. The 56-page report described the circumstances of the deaths of "at least

six of the passengers" as being "consistent with ... an arbitrary and summary execution."

Israel has maintained its troops used force on the activists after they were attacked by those on board one boat, but passengers on board that boat insist Israeli troops fired on them without provocation. (*)

Turkey demands Israel apologize for Gaza flotilla raid despite its help in Carmel fire

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

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Turkish PM Erdogan says he still expects compensation from Israel over Gaza flotilla raid, calls Turkey's aid in fire purely humanitarian.

December 05, 2010 (KATAKAMI / HAARETZ) --- Turkey still expects an apology and compensation for nine Turkish activists killed on a Gaza-bound ship this year, despite its offer of help to Israel in battling forest fires, its prime minister said on Sunday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telephoned Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Friday to thank him after Turkey sent firefighting planes to help battle forest fires in northern Israel that killed 41 people.

It was the first conversation between the two men since Israeli commandos killed the nine Turkish activists while storming their boat, the Mavi Marmara,that was bringing supplies to the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu said Turkey's gesture would be an opportunity to improve ties between the erstwhile allies. But Erdogan said the help on the fires was purely humanitarian.

"We would never stand by when people are being killed and nature is being destroyed anywhere in the world," Erdogan said in comments broadcast live by CNN Turk. "No one should try to interpret this any differently.

"Now some are coming out and saying, 'Let's begin a new phase.' Before that, our demands must be met ... Our nine brothers martyred on the Mavi Marmara must be accounted for. First an apology must be made and compensation must be paid."

Israel had enjoyed close military and commercial ties with Muslim but secular Turkey since the 1990s.

Netanyahu's government has since accused Erdogan, a devout Muslim, of turning away from Western allies and embracing Iran and other Islamic states.

Erdogan criticized Israeli conduct during strikes on Gaza in late 2008 and early 2009, which followed Turkish efforts to mediate between Israel and Syria in failed peace talks.  (*)

PM Erdogan : Turkey 'will not be silent' if Israel attacks

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reviews an honour guard with his Lebanese counterpart Saad al-Hariri (L) during an official welcoming ceremony upon his arrival at Beirut international airport, November 24, 2010. (Getty Images / REUTERS/ Jamal Saidi )

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'Does Israel think it can enter Lebanon with most modern aircraft and tanks to kill women and children, use cluster bombs to kill kids in Gaza, and expect us to remain silent?' asks Turkish prime minister on visit to Beirut.

November 25, 2010 (KATAKAMI / YNET) --- Turkey will not remain silent if Israel attacks Lebanon or Gaza, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Beirut on Thursday, as ties between the longtime allies remained at an all-time low.

"Does (Israel) think it can enter Lebanon with the most modern aircraft and tanks to kill women and children, and destroy schools and hospitals, and then expect us to remain silent?" Erdogan said at a conference organised by the Union of Arab Banks.

"Does it think it can use the most modern weapons, phosphorus munitions and cluster bombs to kill children in Gaza and then expect us to remain silent? "We will not be silent and we will support justice by all means available to us."

Turkey was once Israel's closest military and diplomatic ally in the Middle East but ties began to deteriorate when Ankara criticised Israel's December 2008 to January 2009 offensive against Gaza.

Relations then nosedived on May 31, 2010 when Israeli naval commandos stormed a Turkish-registered protest ship, the Mavi Mara, part of a flotilla attempting to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory. Nine Turkish activists were killed in the operation.

Erdogan has said his country will not begin to restore relations with Israel until it apologizes for its "savage attack" on the vessel. Thursday was the final day of the Turkish premier's two-day visit to Lebanon.

Hundreds of Lebanese of Armenian descent have clashed with army troops during a protest over a visit to Beirut by the Turkish prime minister.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is on a two day trip during which he met with officials and visited the north and south of the country.

He was inaugurating a hospital in the southern port city of Sidon Thursday as hundreds of protesters gathered in the capital's Martyrs' Square. When demonstrators tore up a large poster of Erdogan and pelted troops with rocks, security responded by beating up a number of them.

There were no reports of major injuries.

Lebanon has 150,000 Armenians, or nearly 4 percent of its population, which harbors deep animosity toward Turks over the 1915 killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians.  (*)

AFP and AP contributed to the story

Turkish PM vows to punish perpetrators of Istanbul blast

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (L) is greeted by Turkey's President Abdullah Gul (c) and his wife Hayrunnisa Gul (L) during the Republic Day reception at the Presidential Palace of Cankaya in Ankara October 29, 2010 AFP PHOTO/ADEM ALTAN (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Photostream : Bomb Attack in Istanbul

November 01, 2010 (KATAKAMI / Rantburg.com/ KUNA) -- Turkish Prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to punish severely the perpetrators of the suicide kaboom which injured 32 people including 15 coppers at Taksim Square, central Istanbul, Sunday morning.

"We'll never tolerate those who threaten Turkey's peace, security and development," Erdogan, now on a visit to Mardin - a mainly Kurdish town southeast Turkey, said in a televised speech.

"Such terrorist acts will never hinder Turkey's quest for of peace, development and fraternity among all members of society," he underscored.

President Abdullah Gul said the attack targeted a group of coppers who have been mobilized for the national holidays such as the Republic's Day celebrated on Friday.

"The attackers will fail to obstruct the nation's march towards friendship, peace, fraternity and development," Gul said.

A woman wearing an boom belt struck close to a number of police buses which were parking near the statue of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - the founder of modern Turkey, at Taksim Square.

Though no group grabbed credit for the attack against Turkey's business center, Turkish officials believe the attack bears the hallmarks of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or Al-Qaeda since the two organizations targeted the city several times in the past.

The attack took place two months ahead of expiry of the unilateral ceasefire announced previously by the PKK .

(MS)