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Israel root of all evil in region: Turkey

31 October 2010 04:01 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA.Turkey has termed Israel as the source of Middle East’s instability saying the threat which Tel Aviv poses to Ankara has reached its highest level, APA reports quoting Press TV.

Amending the country’s foreign policy vis-Ã -vis Tel Aviv, Turkey’s National Security Council (MGK) stated that "the region’s instability stems from Israeli actions and policy," Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reported on Saturday.

The political footwork, the council said, "could lead to an arms race in the Middle East."

The comments come amid Israel’s continued refusal to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its silence on its widely-reported possession of hundreds of nuclear warheads.

The MGK also called Israel "a central threat to Turkey." Similar form of addressing was used by Turkey some 60 years ago, Ha’aretz said.

The bilateral relations hit their lowest ebb after the Israeli commandos attacked Freedom Flotilla -- a Turkish-backed aid convoy, which had set sail to bring relief supplies to the Gaza Strip. The assault in international waters killed nine Turkish activists.

Turkey has asked Israel to offer its apology, to acknowledge an international-impartial inquiry and its conclusion, to compensate the survivors and to lift Gaza’s siege. Ankara has threatened to sever ties with Tel Aviv, should Israel fail to meet either of the first two demands.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman; however, have insisted that Tel Aviv will not be apologetic about the attack.