Asia

Asia

Turkey says ready to contribute to Middle East peace talks

04 September 2010 18:22 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Turkish Foreign Ministry hailed the start of the direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and expressed readiness to contribute to the process, the ministry’s spokesman said on Saturday, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agency.

"Following a long deadlock in the Middle East peace process, we welcome the commencement of direct talks. Turkey, as in the past, will continue to support all efforts to establish an immediate, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region," Selcuk Unal told Xinhua.

Turkey supports every way to peace, Unal said, adding that " unilateral actions which could negatively affect the process should be avoided throughout the talks. The situation on the ground should be improved. International actors and regional countries should contribute to the process in this regard."

Although Turkey is not at the peace negotiation table, from time to time, it contributes to reconciliation efforts between Palestinian groups, which is important for the Palestinians throughout the peace process. Turkey, as a country that could talk with the Islamist Hamas, has served as a facilitator between the Hamas and its rivalry Fatah.

Asked if Turkey had contacted the Hamas or any other parties recently concerning the peace process, unnamed Turkish diplomatic sources told Xinhua on Saturday that the country wanted all parties to support the peace process and would urge every party it talks with to avoid attempts that could harm the process.

Meanwhile, the sources said it is important for Israel to halt construction of settlements.

Turkey, a Muslim but secular state, traditionally enjoyed good relations with Israel and had been mediating between the Jewish country and the Arab world.

However, relations between Turkey and Israel cooled after Israel attacked the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in 2008, and especially after Israel’s naval raid of an Gaza-bound aid flotilla, killing eight Turkish citizens. Turkey’s Islamic rooted government reacted harshly to the Jewish state, recalling its ambassador in Israel.

Tension with Israel has constrained Turkey’s ability to contribute to the Middle East peace process, and its mediating role for the indirect talks between Israel and Syria has also been blocked.

The Israeli government and the Palestinian National Authority started the United States-brokered direct peace talks, which had failed in December 2008 as the Gaza war started, on Sept. 2 in Washington. Egypt and Jordan were invited to the negotiation table.

A day after the talks started, the Hamas, which had rejected compromise with Israel, killed four Israeli settlers outside the West Bank city of Hebron.