Turkey's PM vows to be after Israeli attack on Gaza aid convoy

The Turkish prime minister said that Turkey would continue to deal with the Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

Turkey's PM vows to be after Israeli attack on Gaza aid convoy

The Turkish prime minister said on Friday that Turkey would continue to deal with the Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

Turkey's Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said some circles expected Turkey to remain silent and digest Israel's piracy in the Mediterranean and the state terrorism.

"However, we have not remained silent against this piracy and injustice, and we will not do so, and we will seek solutions within the framework of international law," Erdogan said during a meeting of his Justice & Development (AK) Party in Ankara.

Erdogan said Turkey's problem was with the stance of the Israeli government who refused to recognize laws, not with the Israeli people.

Nine people, including eight Turkish and one U.S. citizen of Turkish descent, died when Israeli forces raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on May 31.Around 30 people were wounded in the attack.

"Iran kept promises"

On Iran, Erdogan said Turkey's attitude on sanctions imposed on Iran had nothing to do with the Israeli attack on the aid flotilla and Turkey's relations with the United States.

"We reached an agreement in Tehran within the framework of letters the U.S. President wrote to me and Mr. Lula (Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva)," he said.

Erdogan said the U.S. President told him that they did not trust Iran, and he told the president that if the promises made in the agreement had not been kept, then Iran would lose Turkey's and Brazil's support.

"However, Iran kept its promise in a letter it wrote to Vienna, but unfortunately the Vienna Group made a response the morning of the day when the United Nations (UN) was to vote on sanctions," he said.

Under the agreement signed by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Motaki and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim in Tehran on May 17, Iran committed to give 1,200kg of 3.5% enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for 20% enriched uranium it will receive from Western countries to be used as fuel in the nuclear research reactor in Tehran.

Tehran will receive the enriched uranium from the Vienna Group, comprising of the United States, France, Russia and IAEA, in Turkey.

Also speaking on developments in Kyrgyzstan, Erdogan said he considered the incidents in that Central Asian country as a row between brothers, and Turkey was working hard to ensure stability there as soon as possible.

189 people were killed and 1,910 others were wounded in ethnical clashes between Uzbek and Kyrgyz people since June 11.

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Güncelleme Tarihi: 18 Haziran 2010, 17:06
YORUM EKLE