Thu Nov 25, 2010 2:11PM
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Ankara is prepared to react to any potential Israeli offensive against Lebanon.
Erdogan described Israel as full of "uncertainties" and said, "It is not definite what it will do." He further warned of the prospects of such hostilities, Turkey's state Anatolia news agency (AA) reported on Thursday."Does (Israel) think it can enter Lebanon with the most modern aircraft and tanks to kill women and children, and destroy schools and hospitals, and then expect us to remain silent?" AFP quoted him as saying in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
The Turkish leader is currently on a two-day visit to the country aimed at strengthening the bilateral ties and voicing support for Beirut in the face of a volatile international situation.
"We will not be silent and we will support justice by all means available to us."
Ankara has opposed the last round of Tel Aviv's offensives on southern Lebanon, which killed around 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians in 2006.
"In the event of war, the citizens of Israel will also be losers," the Turkish leader warned.
The Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah, which defeated Israel in the 33-day hostilities and headed off Tel Aviv's offensives on the country in 2000, has vowed to respond with determination to any future Israel-launched warfare.
The resistance movement has publicly announced that it has the capability to hit targets deep inside Israel and to strike Israeli Navy vessels even before they reach the Lebanese waters.
The Middle East is passing through a sensitive period, Erdogan said, and called for "unity and integrity" among regional countries.
He insisted that Israel "must realize that if there is peace and security in the region, it will also benefit."
HN/ZHD/AKM
Turkey has termed Israel as the source of Middle East's instability saying the threat which Tel Aviv poses to Ankara has reached its highest level.
Amending a oreign policy document called "The Red Book," Turkey's National Security Council (MGK) stated that "the region's instability stems from Israeli actions and policy," Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported on Saturday.
The political footwork, the council said, "could lead to an arms race in the Middle East."
The comments come amid Israel's continued refusal to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its silence on its widely-reported possession of hundreds of nuclear warheads.
The MGK also called Israel "a central threat to Turkey." Similar form of addressing was used by Turkey some 60 years ago, Ha'aretzsaid.
The bilateral relations hit their lowest ebb after the Israeli commandos attacked Freedom Flotilla -- a Turkish-backed aid convoy, which had set sail to bring relief supplies to the Gaza Strip. The assault in international waters killed nine Turkish activists.
Turkey has asked Israel to offer its apology, to acknowledge an international-impartial inquiry and its conclusion, to compensate the survivors and to lift Gaza's siege. Ankara has threatened to sever ties with Tel Aviv, should Israel fail to meet either of the first two demands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman; however, have insisted that Tel Aviv will not be apologetic about the attack.
HN/PKH/MMN
The Turkish prime minister has arrived in Beirut to discuss the political crisis in Lebanon over a US-backed probe into the killing of the former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday urged rival political factions in Lebanon to unite, calling it the only way to overcome the possible national crisis linked to the probe.
"The premier stressed the importance of stability in Lebanon and the need for all parties to come together and find solutions to all matters related to the international tribunal," said a statement issued by the Lebanese presidential office following a meeting between Erdogan and President Michel Sleiman.
The Turkish premier's two-day visit comes as Lebanon is on a knife-edge amid mounting tension over a US-backed probe into the murder of Rafiq Hariri who was killed in a massive car bomb explosion on February 14, 2005. Twenty-two others also lost their lives in the explosion.
According to unconfirmed reports, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) plans to charge some members of Lebanon's resistance movement Hezbollah in connection with the assassination.
Hezbollah, which has vehemently denied any role in the killing, has dismissed the US-backed tribunal as an "Israeli project" aimed at undermining the resistance movement and creating division in the country.
The court is expected to announce its findings by the end of 2010.
The Turkish prime minister also attended a public gathering in the Turkmen village of Kwashra in the northern Lebanese region of Akkar, where he called on Israel to remedy its mistakes and apologize to people in the region.
Israel "must realize that if there is peace and security in the region, it will also benefit," Erdogan told a cheering crowd of hundreds gathered in the village of Kwashra.
"But in the event of war, the citizens of Israel will also be losers. We will raise our voices in order to recover our rights as concerns Gaza and al-Quds (Jerusalem)."
HM/PKH/AKM
Israel bombed a UN school in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip on Jan. 17
Turkey has launched a probe into allegations that Israel committed genocide and crimes against humanity during its 23-day offensive on Gaza.
The investigation will look into a complaint lodged by the human rights association Mazlum-Der against several Israeli officials, including President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and army chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
"Every complaint merits an investigation," a spokesman for the prosecutor in charge of the inquiry told AFP when asked whether a probe had been launched into Mazlum-Der's complaint.
Under Turkish law, prosecutors are required to examine all complaints to determine whether there are grounds for a full-scale investigation that could lead to formal charges.
Mazlum-Der has accused Israel of directly attacking civilians "with the aim of annihilating them" and employing internationally-banned weapons, including white phosphorus bombs, and depleted uranium, in the process.
"The suspects, who wanted to wipe out the Palestinian people through systematic attacks, have committed genocide and crimes against humanity," said the human rights group's petition, demanding that the suspects be detained should they enter Turkey.
Turkish law allows for the trial of people accused of genocide or crimes against humanity even if the crimes are committed abroad.
Israel's 23-day offensive against the Gaza Strip left more than 1,330 Palestinians killed and injured at least 5,450 others.
Despite being among the few Muslim countries with Israeli ties, Turkey has sharply criticized Israel over its atrocities in Gaza. Turks have staged almost daily anti-Israel demonstrations across the country since Tel Aviv launched and all-out military strike against the Gaza Strip on December 27.
On January 31, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was attending a summit on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, walked off after he was interrupted for criticizing Israeli atrocities.
Before marching off the stage, in front of Israeli President Shimon Peres and UN chief Ban Ki-moon, the Turkish premier marched said that Israel committed "barbarian" acts in Gaza, and lashed out at the audience for applauding Peres's remarks made in defense of the war on Gaza. Erdogan further vowed he would never return to Davos.
MRS/MMN
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