Turkey said on Friday it may cut ties with Israel to a minimum a few days after a deadly Israeli raid on a Turkish ship bound for Gaza Strip. Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc stated existing military and economic deals with Israel were now on the table for discussion. "We are serious about this subject," he told NTV.
"We may plan to reduce our relations with Israel to a minimum, but to assume everything involving another country is stopped in an instant, to say we have crossed you out of our address book, is not the custom of our state," he said.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama said the incident should be used as an opportunity to advance Middle East peace efforts. "I think what's important right now is that we break out of the current impasse, use this tragedy as an opportunity," he said in an interview with CNN's Larry King on Thursday.
U.S. envoy George Mitchell met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday.
