Israeli and Turkish officials meet to ease tensions over Gaza op

Israeli and Turkish officials are engaged in behind-the-scenes discussions aimed at easing tensions between the two countries in the wake of Israel's operation in the Gaza Strip.

Shalom Turjeman, an adviser to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, is said to be holding talks with an aide of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an attempt to improve relations between Jerusalem and Ankara.

"Israel has no intention of deepening the crisis and we are trying to calm things down," a source in the Prime Minister's Office said yesterday. "Relations with Turkey are a strategic asset to both countries and we are interested that they remain as such."

Ties between Israel and Turkey reached a new low on Friday when Erdogan stalked off the stage at the World Economic Forum at Davos, after sparring with President Shimon Peres over Operation Cast Lead.

At the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, Olmert commented for the first time on the deterioration of Israel's relationship with Turkey.

"Turkey also has its domestic political considerations - it's a Muslim country on the eve of elections," Olmert explained. "Our ties with it are important."

Last month Erdogan lashed out at Olmert for not telling him about the operation in Gaza when the two met in Ankara a few days before it was launched. Erdogan accused the prime minister of "back-stabbing" and "hurting Turkish national pride." He added that the operation had thwarted Turkish efforts to mediate peace negotiations between Israel and Syria, which he said were close to a breakthrough that could have led to direct talks.

Also at the cabinet meeting, Defense Minister Ehud Barak commented that, "Turkey is a country of strategic importance in the Middle East."

"We have a long history of extensive and important ties with Turkey," he added. "The sooner we ease tensions and reach a mutual understanding with it on how to fight terror - the better. Turkey has a long history of fighting terror and it has shown its determination to do so. I'm certain the situation will be eased and our good ties will be renewed."

Since the incident at Davos, travel agents have reported massive cancelations of flights by Israeli tourists to Turkey.