Erdogan: Turkish Airspace Closed to Israel

28/06/2010 Turkey's prime minister is quoted as saying Monday that his country has closed its airspace to Israeli flights following a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Toronto that Turkey imposed the ban after the May 31 raid on a Turkish ship that was part of a six-vessel international aid flotilla, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency.

The prime minister, who is in Canada to attend a summit of the Group of 20 major industrial and developing nations, did not elaborate.

On Sunday, Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Turkey had not allowed a plane carrying Israeli military officers, en route to a tour of memorial sites in Auschwitz, Poland, to fly over Turkish airspace.

The transport plane, with more than 100 commissioned and noncommissioned officers on board, was forced to make a detour, the Israeli daily said, adding that the Israeli military "refrained from responding officially to the event so not to exacerbate the rift in relations."

Turkish aviation officials were not immediately available for comment.

Eight Turks and a Turkish-American were killed in the raid that drew Turkish outrage and widespread international condemnation.

The aid ships were sailing to Gaza to break an Israeli blockade imposed on over 1.5 million Palestinians in the Strip.

Turkey, which had a close alliance with Israel until the three-week Gaza war, which ended in early 2009, withdrew its ambassador and canceled joint military drills in response to the raid. It has said it will not return its ambassador and will reduce military and trade ties unless Israel apologizes for the raid. It also wants Israel to return the seized aid ships, agree to an international investigation and offer compensation for the victims.

"Up to now, we have done whatever is necessary within the rules of law - whether national or international - and we will continue to do so," Anatolia quoted Erdogan as saying, adding that ties with Israel could return to normal if the Zionist entity meets Turkey's demands.

"We are not interested in making a show. We don't desire such a thing and we have been very patient in the face of these developments," he said, according to Anatolia.

Israel has objected to an international inquiry into the operation and has set up its own investigative commission that includes two foreign observers.

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