Turkish prime minister tells Israeli president “You are killing people”
Turkey’s prime minister returned home from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to a warm welcome after he stormed out of a debate over Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.
More than 5,000 people, many waving Palestinian and Turkish flags, greeted Recep Tayyip Erdogan after his airplane touched down early on Friday.
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Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (L) storms out of a debate on the Middle East as Israel’s President Shimon Peres remains seated at the World Economic Forum in Davos January 29, 2009. Israel’s President Shimon Peres had launched a fiery defense of his country’s assault on Gaza over the past month and, with a raised voice and pointed finger, questioned what Erdogan would do if rockets were fired at Istanbul every night. As the debate was ending, Erdogan was cut short as he tried to respond. REUTERS/Yasin Aras/Anatolian |
Before storming out, Erdogan told Shimon Peres, the Israeli president: “You are killing people.”
At least 1,300 Palestinians were killed during Israel’s 22-day aerial, naval and ground assault on Gaza. Thirteen Israeli citizens died over the same period.
During the heated panel discussion in the Swiss town, Peres told Erdogan that Turkey would have acted in the same manner as Israel if rockets had been falling on Istanbul.
Moderator David Ignatius, a Washington Post columnist, then told Erdogan that he had “only a minute” to respond to a lengthy monologue by Peres.
“I find it very sad that people applaud what you said. There have been many people killed. And I think that it is very wrong and it is not humanitarian,” said Erdogan.
Ignatius twice attempted to finish the debate, saying, “We really do need to get people to dinner.”
Erdogan then said: “Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. I don’t think I will come back to Davos after this.”
Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League and former Egyptian foreign minister, said Erdogan’s action was understandable.
“Mr. Erdogan said what he wanted to say and then he left. That’s all. He was right,” he said, adding that Israel “doesn’t listen.”
Turkey has in recent months brokered indirect talks between Israel and Syria over the Golan Heights region, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967.
The exchange between Erdogan and Peres took place on the second day of the summit, where business and political leaders have been discussing trade, financial regulation and global security.
Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, used the forum to announce the launch of an emergency appeal for $613m to help Palestinians recover from Israel’s attack on Gaza.
The UN secretary-general said he had been deeply moved by his visit to Gaza and that he had given his word that the UN would help the Gazans in their hour of need.
He said the appeal for funds covered the requirements of the U.N. and other aid organizations for the next six to nine months.
Ban said it would help provide aid such as medical care and clean water and that an appeal for longer-term needs would be launched later.
Asked about achieving peace in Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of Israel’s Likud party who was attending the forum, swiftly turned his answer to Iran, which he said was in a “100-yard dash” to get nuclear weapons.
While he did not specify any planned military action, Netanyahu said if Iranian rulers were “neutralized,” the danger posed to Israel and others by Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in south Lebanon would be reduced.
Meanwhile, Manouchechr Mottaki, Iran’s foreign minister, who was also in Davos, said Tehran had taken note of the intention of Barack Obama, the U.S. president, to withdraw troops from Iraq and believed he should also pull troops out of Afghanistan.
Mottaki told a panel at the forum that Obama had “courage” to say which of the policies of former U.S. president George Bush he disagreed with and said his approach marked a “milestone” away from an era of “might equals right.”
-From Aljazeera
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