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Turkish Minister Says Israel Should Apologize, Inquiry Be Opened

01 June 2010 02:57 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The Turkish foreign minister said on Monday that Israel should apologize to the international community and the families of those killed and wounded in the Israeli attack on ships carrying aid to Gaza, APA reports quoting turkishny.com web-page.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said an international inquiry should be launched into this "unacceptable move of Israel."
"Ships should be set free and let dispatch the aid to Gaza," Davutoglu told an extraordinary session of the United Nations (UN) Security Council in New York.
Davutoglu also said Israel should end the blockade on Gaza.
Turkey earlier called for an emergency session at the UN Security Council over the Israeli raid on the aid flotilla.
Israeli navy forces raided a convoy of aid ships of Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, killing at least 10 people and injuring 30 others.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday described an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla as "piracy and banditry".
Delivering a speech at an emergency session of the UN Security Council called on by Turkey after the raid that killed at least 10 activists, Davutoglu said Israel "had blood on its hands," adding that the Jewish state had committed "a serious crime, in total disregard of all the values that we have vowed to uphold since the establishment of the United Nations system."
"A nation state that follows this path has lost its legitimacy as a respectful member of the international community," he said.
"Israel’s action is a grave breach of international law. In simpler terms, it’s tantamount to banditry and piracy. It’s murder conducted by a state," Davutoglu said.
"These boats that left from Turkey and other countries were checked in a strict way under the framework of the rules of international navigation and were only loaded with humanitarian aid," the top Turkish diplomat said.