Erdogan urges Israel to lift Gaza siege

Tue Dec 7, 2010

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again criticized Israel for imposing a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, urging Tel Aviv to lift the siege.

"The embargoes… must be lifted," he said during a speech in Turkey's parliament on Tuesday.

Erdogan also insisted that Israel should apologize for its deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy in international waters, which left nine Turkish activists dead.

"If anyone wants to turn a new page, they must first admit their crime... apologize and pay compensation," AFP quoted him as saying.

The brutal attack in May sparked a global outrage across the world as the aid convoy was trying to deliver humanitarian supplies to the 1.5 million impoverished people of Gaza.

Turkey cut its relations with Israel over the incident and asked its ambassador to leave Tel Aviv.

"If we see these steps being taken, then we will evaluate the situation... We are not acting with feelings of grudge and hatred," he added.

Earlier on Monday, Erdogan met with acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas and discussed various issues, including bilateral relations, the latest situation in the Palestinian territories and the stalled Middle East talks.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154358.html.