Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: An operational failure

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/turkish-rep-on-un-flotilla-probe-tells-haaretz-now-is-israel-s-last-chance-to-apologize-1.374122
Published 03:11 20.07.11 Latest update 03:11 20.07.11
Turkish rep on UN flotilla probe tells Haaretz: Now is Israel's last 
chance to apologize
Envoy Ozdem Sanberk says time is running out for Israel to restore ties 
to the former level.
By Barak Ravid
The Turkish representative on the UN commission investigating the fatal 
events surrounding last year's flotilla to Gaza told Haaretz yesterday 
that July 27, when the commission's report is published, is the "last 
chance" to solve the crisis between Jerusalem and Istanbul.
Ozdem Sanberk did not deny reports in the Turkish media that a 
memorandum of understanding, with the blessing of Turkish Prime Minister 
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been worked out to end the crisis.
However, he said, Turkey was waiting for Israel's response.
According to the Turkish daily Sabah, Israel and Turkey have reached a 
draft agreement to end the crisis between the two countries, which 
includes an Israeli apology for what has been called an operational 
failure on Israel's part during the takeover of the blockade-busting 
Mavi Marmara, which led to the deaths of nine Turkish nationals.
A draft of the memorandum of understandings has been given to Erdogan, 
who approved it, the paper said.
Sabah also said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has still not 
responded to the draft, and that he has until July 27 to do so.
With regard to the existence of the draft, Sanberk told Haaretz: "I am 
not in a position to say yes or no. I am involved in the multilateral 
track. But there is no new round of talks for now. We are waiting for 
Israel's response."
The Prime Minister's Bureau declined to respond to a query from Haaretz 
about the draft.
Though Netanyahu faces pressure from abroad to reach a detente with 
Ankara, both Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Vice Prime Minister 
Moshe Ya'alon oppose an Israeli apology as the way to end the crisis, 
complicating matters.
Sanberk, who was formerly director-general of the Turkish Foreign 
Ministry, was involved in all the talks between Israel and Turkey over 
the past year, including the most recent talks, in New York, between 
Ya'alon and the current director general of the Turkish Foreign 
Ministry, Feridun Sinirlioglu.
In a telephone interview from Turkey, Sanberk told Haaretz that an 
Israeli apology would restore normalcy.
"We could have solved this thing one day after the incident - we wasted 
a whole year," he said. "If Israel apologizes we will send the 
ambassador back to Tel Aviv right away and we will have the same 
relations that we had for many years. We will have disagreements but we 
will talk and try to solve them. But this is done only in normal 
diplomatic relations and this is not the case right now."
Sanberk did not reveal details of talks between the parties, but said 
the right formula had to be found that would put the issue to rest. 
"Nine persons were killed and many wounded but no explanation was 
provided by Israel for this. Forensic evidence shows that they were shot 
multiple times. On the other hand, no Israeli soldier was killed. These 
are two countries that never fought against each other and one of them 
lost nine citizens. We are entitled to an apology," he said.
According to Sanberk, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, not Turkey as 
has been reported, had asked for a delay in publication of the 
commission report - in order to give the parties more time to talk.
-- 
Namib
"La force ne fait ni raison ni droit ; mais il est peut-ï¿œtre impossible 
de s'en passer, pour faire respecter le droit et la raison" (Saint-Just)

 Israel's last  chance
LOL