US Turkey divided on Israel re: PM Erdoğan's Zionism remarks
Posted: Sun 03 Mar 2013 1:02 pm
Quoted from Daily News 3/3/2012:
Newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s talks in Ankara could have displayed a rosy picture, since it was his first rendezvous with the Turkish leadership in his current capacity, yet Washington’s strong uneasiness over Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s likening Zionism to crimes against humanity dominated the talks.
“We not only disagree with it, we found it objectionable,” Kerry said on March 1 at a joint press conference following talks with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
As of Feb. 27, at a U.N. Alliance of Civilizations meeting in Vienna, Erdoğan said: “Just as with Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism, it has become necessary to view Islamophobia as a crime against humanity.”
Turkey has been against anti-Semitism along its history and will continue this stance regardless of its bilateral relations with Israel who hasn’t used the chance given to them for restoring of ties, Davutoğlu said;
“Turkey is always ready to do whatever it needs for a fair two-state solution based on 1967 borders,” he, however, added, as his U.S. counterpart already said that one of the reasons taking him to Ankara was revival of Middle East peace process and seeking Turkey’s help.
Newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s talks in Ankara could have displayed a rosy picture, since it was his first rendezvous with the Turkish leadership in his current capacity, yet Washington’s strong uneasiness over Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s likening Zionism to crimes against humanity dominated the talks.
“We not only disagree with it, we found it objectionable,” Kerry said on March 1 at a joint press conference following talks with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
As of Feb. 27, at a U.N. Alliance of Civilizations meeting in Vienna, Erdoğan said: “Just as with Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism, it has become necessary to view Islamophobia as a crime against humanity.”
Turkey has been against anti-Semitism along its history and will continue this stance regardless of its bilateral relations with Israel who hasn’t used the chance given to them for restoring of ties, Davutoğlu said;
“Turkey is always ready to do whatever it needs for a fair two-state solution based on 1967 borders,” he, however, added, as his U.S. counterpart already said that one of the reasons taking him to Ankara was revival of Middle East peace process and seeking Turkey’s help.