Ankara bombing mars Gul's Germany visit

Sep 20, 2011

Berlin - A visit by Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Germany to seek support for his country's admission into the European Union was marred by a bomb attack back home in Ankara on Tuesday.

Gul had already met with Chancellor Angela Merkel, an opponent on Turkish entry, in Berlin and had continued to the city of Osnabrueck when news of the violence reached him. He condemned the blast as a terrorist attack. It killed three, Ankara police said.

Merkel meanwhile voiced concern to Gul about the recent flare-up in tension between Turkey and Israel, German government sources said.

Berlin has been dismayed that Turkey and Israel, both of them nations where Germany has key interests, are at odds with one another over the killings of nine Turkish activists during Israel's May 31, 2010 boarding of blockade-buster ships bound for the Gaza Strip.

The sources said Gul and Merkel set out their views on whether Turkey should be allowed to join the EU - without any changing of minds. Gul had repeated Monday at his public appearances that Turkey continued to seek full membership.

Officially, Germany is open to this, but Merkel's political party is only willing to grant Turkey a lesser form of association.

The two leaders discussed the full range of Turkish-German issues as well the Arab Spring revolts, the sources added.

Gul's Berlin visit was disrupted by a bomb scare Monday evening. Police cleared a university lecture hall where Gul was to speak. Gul gave his planned lecture to a much smaller audience in a smaller room an hour late.

In Osnabrueck, the home town of German President Christian Wulff, a crowd, most of who had not yet heard of the Ankara violence, waved Turkish and German flags and cheered Gul when he arrived Tuesday, drowning out jeers from a small group of Kurdish protesters.

Germany is home to 3.5 million people of Turkish origin. They are the country's most visible ethnic minority.

The visit to Osnabrueck was a return for the courtesy of Wulff's visit last year to Kayseri, Gul's hometown.

Gul arrived in Germany Sunday and remains until Wednesday.

Source: Monsters and Critics.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1664071.php/Ankara-bombing-mars-Gul-s-Germany-visit.