http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-and-turkey-holding-secret-direct-talks-to-mend-diplomatic-rift-1.368792
Latest update 02:38 21.06.11
Israel and Turkey holding secret direct talks to mend diplomatic rift
The U.S. administration has also held talks with senior Turkish officials,
mainly to foil the flotilla to Gaza due later this month.
By Barak Ravid
Israeli and Turkish officials have been holding secret direct talks to try to
solve the diplomatic crisis between the two countries, a senior official in
Jerusalem said. The negotiations are receiving the Americans' support.
A source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry and a U.S. official confirmed that
talks are being held, though in Israel the prime minister and foreign
minister's aides declined to comment.
The talks are being held between an Israeli official on behalf of Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun
Sinirlioglu, a firm supporter of rehabilitating ties with Israel.
Talks are also being held between the Israeli representative on the UN inquiry
committee on last year's Gaza flotilla, Yosef Ciechanover, and Turkey's
representative on the committee, Ozdem Sanberk. The two, who have been working
together for several months on the UN committee, pass on messages between
Israel and Turkey and have taken pains to draft understandings to end the
crisis.
In addition, the U.S. administration has held talks with senior Turkish
officials, mainly to foil the flotilla to Gaza due later this month, but also
in a bid to improve relations with Israel.
On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to her Turkish
counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu and expressed satisfaction with the IHH
Humanitarian Relief Foundation's announcement that the ship the Mavi Marmara
would not take part in the flotilla this time around, officials said.
Last Thursday, Netanyahu called a meeting with a clutch of ministers on the
Gaza flotilla and relations with Turkey. A source familiar with the debate said
the main sticking point was whether Israel would apologize to Turkey or only
express regret, and whether the Turkish families who will be compensated for
their loved ones killed in Israel's raid last year would be able to file
further suits.
This is Israel and Turkey's third attempt to reach understandings that would
end the crisis. The first attempt took place after the Carmel fire in December.
Ciechanover and Sanberk reached partial understandings, but Foreign Minister
Avigdor Lieberman objected to Israel's apologizing to Turkey for last year's
flotilla events, and the talks were halted.
Another unsuccessful attempt took place two months ago.
One of the developments behind the current attempt to solve the crisis is the
UN inquiry committee's report on the flotilla, due to be released in the first
week of July. Israel and Turkey's representatives on the committee want to use
the report's release as an opportunity for both countries to put the affair
behind them and rehabilitate ties.
The draft report submitted a few weeks ago led to disagreements on both sides,
which delayed the release.
The disagreements, however, appear to have been solved because both Israel and
Turkey have agreed to the report's release at the beginning of July.
The second development is the election in Turkey last week. Senior Jerusalem
officials say Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan could not display
flexibility in Turkey's demands of Israel before the vote. After winning the
election, Erdogan is likely to take a more pragmatic stance, they say.
The third development pertains to the situation in Syria. President Bashar
Assad's violent crackdown and the stream of refugees to Turkey have shaken
Ankara. The Turks were especially surprised Assad refused their demands, lied
to them and prefers the Iranian patronage, Israeli officials say.
"The situation in Syria creates big problems for both Turkey and Israel, and
they have a joint interest in solving the problems between us," a senior
Turkish Foreign Ministry official said.
In recent weeks, Israel and Turkey have made several significant gestures
toward each other. Davutoglu called on the IHH to reconsider taking part in the
next Gaza flotilla. On Friday, the IHH said the Mavi Marmara would not take
part.
Netanyahu made favorable comments about Turkey after the election results
became known. He said Israel was not interfering in Turkey's internal affairs
and had not chosen for relations to deteriorate. Netanyahu said at a news
conference in Rome that Israel had no desire to continue a tense relationship
and would be happy to have any opportunity to improve the situation.
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