Turkey eager to resume Israel-Syria mediation
Turks ask Defense Min. Barak to allow transfer of Turkish aid to Gaza; Turkish FM: We have leverage with Syria.
By Barak Ravid Tags: Ehud Barak Israel newsTurkey would very much like to resume its former role of mediating Israeli-Syrian talks, and is prepared to do so immediately, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told visiting Defense Minister Ehud Barak in Ankara on Sunday.
The Turks also asked Barak to allow the transfer of Turkish aid to the Gaza Strip.
Prior to becoming foreign minister, Davutoglu served as an adviser to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on foreign policy and as a mediator in the indirect talks between Israel and Syria. His meeting with Barak thus focused to a large extent on Syria.
"We have leverage with Syria," Davutoglu told Barak. "We can resume mediation between Syria and Israel."
Barak told his Turkish interlocutor that he personally favors resuming negotiations with Syria, but at this stage, the matter is not on the Israeli government's agenda.
Another key issue in Barak's talks with Davutoglu, who has served as the architect of Turkish foreign policy under the ruling Islamist party, AKP, was the blockade of Gaza and the boycott of its Hamas-led government.
Davutoglu has long favored dialogue with Hamas, and several months ago, he asked Israel to allow him to travel to the Gaza Strip. But Israel refused, arguing that this would present Hamas with a valuable photo-op for propaganda purposes.
On Sunday, the Turkish foreign minister asked Barak to allow shipments of Turkish aid to Gaza via Israel. In addition to food and medicines, the Turks would like to send mobile homes, to house Palestinian families who lost their homes during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza last year, but have been unable to rebuild due to an Israeli ban on allowing construction materials into the Hamas-controlled territory.
The Israeli minister made no promises on this point, saying merely that the matter would be evaluated in line with Israel's current policy on allowing goods to cross into Gaza.
Last night, Foreign Ministry Director General Yossi Gal arrived in the Turkish capital for an additional round of diplomatic talks with senior officials at the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Gal has tried hard to keep his distance from the recent tension between Israel and Turkey, caused by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon's humiliating reprimand of Ankara's ambassador to Israel. Senior Israeli Foreign Ministry officials said that Gal largely refrained from getting involved in the matter and did not confront either Ayalon or Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman over it, even though he opposed the reprimand.
The main purpose of the talks Gal is scheduled to hold in Ankara is to try to improve relations between the two countries and make it possible for Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Foreign Minister Davutoglu to visit Israel. One of the key stumbling blocks is the Turks' insistence on being allowed to visit Gaza.
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Defense Minster Ehud Barak with Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu. |
| Photo by: (AP) |
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Anyone who is for peace is against Israel.
When Syria is ready for real peace with Israel it will be ready to negotiate directly with Israel. There is no need for a mediator and even if there was, Turkey under Islamist rule would not be eligible. When Olmert was Prime Minister he allowed Turkey to "mediate". The result was to make peace more difficult as the Turkish Islamists played the role of a dishonest broker pressuring Israel to give in to the demands of the Syrian dictatorship.
For many reasons, Turkey wants to be seen as an indispensible player in the region. Having a mediating role in the conflict helps. The talks can go on forever as far the Turks are concerned as long as they have an important role. The Gazans are merely a useful tool for this purpose. Shedding crocodile tears for the Gazans has just been the fig-leaf behind which the Turks hide to vent their spleen over the diplomatic set-back they suffered when they were side-lined by Operation Cast Lead.
If Erdogan stays prime minister for one more term it may quite happend. He already excluded Turkey from EU (whatever he tells the Turks that is now a fact) NATO is next. Except Turkey will not be excpelled , Erdogan will expel Turkey
It is a bluff to say that Turkia has leverage over the gangster allawite regime of Syria .
... look after yourself..., not us...
... better the devils-you-know, that some other devil...! ... and implore Barak to take on Israel's foreign min as well... he can do it (in an emergency...) (for G*d's sake don't lets leave it in the hands of Yvet et Ayalon...!!)
Turks have Israel in their pocket and they know it.If solution to this problem is not found soon Israel will pay a heavy price.Islam is uniting and turks play a leading role.
The only way to stop Iran is to stop their support from The turks.
"Expel Turkey from NATO since it is part of the Iranian Syrian axis." For as long as the USA needs Incirlik and other bases in Turkey for its own purposes, Turley is NOT a part of the Iranian/Syrian axis! No! No way! Not ever! Never! No! Don;t you believe it! Unh! Unh!
I don't get it-what's to negotiate? Syria needs to recognize the Jewish state and in return they get economic help and peaceful borders. As far as the Golan is concerned, that shouldn't be negotiable....it wasn't meant to go to Syria in the first place and secondly it's too strategically vital to Israel and there's too much Jewish history there. End of debate.
There is no choice for Israel but to integrate itself in the ME region. Israelis made the choice of living in this region. So even if they consider all of them "barbarians", they cannot change their neighbors. Why not show them and the rest of the world the enlightened status of Israelis by striving for peace and accommodations with their neighbors, instead of forever dictating "do this or that or else....."?
Expel Turkey from NATO since it is part of the Iranian Syrian axis.
"The Israeli minister made no promises on this point, saying merely that the matter would be evaluated in line with Israel's current policy on allowing goods to cross into Gaza." Yes, a shameful policy that prevents mobile homes, food, and medicine from reaching a besieged prison camp (Gaza). Shame!
Haiti. I'm certain Israel would not object. At least this doesn't sustain those that are trying to kill Israelies. As to Turkey mediating with Syria and have leverage, this is so ridiculous it hardly bears repeating or responding to. For the record, because I fear that Israel will permit it, I will respond. First and foremost, mediators need to be neutral and perceived that way by both sides. Turkey is light years from this. Turkey's statement about leverage is completely unprofessional and suggests that it won't discharge its role in a principled and fair manner but either to carry out its own agenda or Israel's. Of course, in terms of the latter, its an attempt to tempt Israel to do what is impermissible. Hopefully, Israel understands that Turkey has its own agenda here and its not simply mediating, in any honest & impartial way, a solution to the Syrian/Israeli issues. This is a terrible shame. The old Turkey, prior to Erdogan's arrival, could have been constructive.