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Politics : Israel to U.S. : Now Deal with Syria and Iran -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Crimson Ghost who wrote (4477)	3/26/2004 4:08:30 AM
From: GUSTAVE JAEGER	Respond to of 22250

Thu., March 25, 2004 Nisan 3, 5764 Turkey says Yassin assassination was an act of terror By News Agencies The prime minister of Turkey, which has close ties with Israel, accused Jerusalem of "terrorism" in a newspaper interview Thursday after the assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and hinted that he may cancel a proposed trip to Israel next month. Tayyip Erdogan's remarks reflect NATO member Turkey's anxiety over escalating violence in the region after an Israel Defense Forces missile strike killed the wheelchair-bound Hamas leader in Gaza City on Monday. They also appear to be a departure from Turkey's recent overtures to mediate between Arabs and Israelis. "This was a terrorism incident," Erdogan was quoted as telling the mass-circulation newspaper Hurriyet. Erdogan also indicated he might reconsider a proposed visit to Israel in April. "I don't know how it will be possible in this situation," Erdogan was quoted as saying. "We need to say what kind of terrorism this falls under. If we want peace in the Middle East, if we want to solve the issues, Israel first of all needs to abandon this kind of attitude. To me, this approach has cast a shadow over peace." Muslim Turkey has traditionally supported Palestinian aspirations to statehood but has strong military, commercial and diplomatic relations with Israel. Some 200 members of Turkey's Workers Party on Thursday demonstrated in front of the Israeli embassy in Ankara, protesting Israel's assassination of Yassin. Erdogan, whose ruling Justice and Development Party traces its roots to a banned Islamist movement, said earlier this year Turkey hoped to mediate between Israel and Syria, which held ultimately fruitless negotiations in the years up to 2000. Asked about such offers by Turkey to assist in the peace process, Erdogan said: "There's nothing left to mediate. They've turned everything into a cloud of smoke... This incident has inflicted a serious wound on Middle East peace. There is nothing resembling a 'road map' left." haaretz.com