Israeli pressures eliminate Turkey from presidency of EMPA - 15 Wounded in Suicide Bomb Attack in Central Istanbul

[ 30/10/2010 - 02:09 PM ]

RABAT, (PIC)-- Israel used political pressures to eliminate Turkey's representative from the presidency of the Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary assembly's conference held in Morocco and have its deputy speaker of the Knesset Majalli Wahbi appointed as a deputy president of the conference, according to Hebrew website NFC.

The website said the Knesset speaker threatened Europeans to walk out of the assembly if Wahbi had not been elected to the post instead of the Turkish candidate.

Following desperate Israeli pressures, Wahbi was made the deputy of the conference chairman Mohamed Abul Einein, it added.

According to the website, the Knesset speaker contacted representatives of the European countries to the assembly to persuade them to appoint Wahbi as the deputy after there was a consensus on choosing the Turkish representative for the position.

Meanwhile 15 Wounded in Suicide Bomb Attack in Central Istanbul

 A suicide bomber blew himself up in the centre of Istanbul on Sunday, wounding 15 people, the city's police Huseyi Capkin told AFP adding that two of the wounded were in a serious condition.

Six of the injured were civilians and nine were police, he said. Turkish television said the attack targetted anti-riot police. The blast happened in Taksim Square, a major shopping and leisure district on the European side of the city.

According to eyewitnesses quoted by news channels, a powerful blast shook the area, which is right in the centre of the city. A security cordon was thrown round the area and the nearby pedestrianised Istiklal street was closed off, the CNN-Turk and NTV reported.

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