Turkey’s Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit sought to tone down the effects of accusations of genocide he had earlier directed against Israel, saying he had not targeted the Israeli people but its government's policy.
Ecevit said Thursday that "genocide is being carried out against the Palestinians before the eyes of the whole world."
But speaking to reporters Friday after talks with visiting Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Ecevit sought to clarify the remark: "In my recent statements I did not target the Israeli people, but today's Israeli administration attracts criticism from all over the world," he said.
"My expression of our regret and expectations on the issue with words as clear as possible could have led to sensitiveness," he added, renewing a pledge that Turkey would do its best to achive dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians. "We place a lot of significance on our relations with Israel," Ecevit said. (Albawaba.com)
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