Turkey wants to soothe Arab worries about its military ties with Israel, and could use its contacts with both sides to calm the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem was quoted as saying in Cairo Monday, where he arrived earlier Monday for an official two-day visit.
Meanwhile, the top Turkish diplomat accused “certain Israeli circles of trying to cause a rift between Turkey and the Arabs,” according to Al Messa newspaper.
The minister was speaking at a press conference he held Monday night with his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmad Maher.
Cem reiterated assurances he conveyed to the Arabs during a meeting with Arab League Secretary Amr Moussa.
The Arab League issued a statement quoting Cem as saying "Turkey is one of the few countries which has good relations with the Israelis and Palestinians and we are using these good relations to calm the situation," according to AFP.
According to the same statement, Moussa said after his meeting with Cem that the Arabs "do not get involved in Turkey's bilateral relations with other states, including Israel."
Moussa added that Cem assured him that "there exists no strategic cooperation between Turkey and Israel that could undermine relations with the Arabs or harm Arab interests."
Turkey has been Israel's main regional ally since 1996 when the two signed a military cooperation accord, much to the anger of most of the Arab World and Iran.
But Ankara also maintains full-fledged diplomatic ties with the Palestinians and supports their demand for statehood.
Despite its close relations with Israel, Turkey has heavily criticized the Jewish state for using excessive force against the Palestinians, said the agency.
Cem was also to meet Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher during his visit.
An Egyptian Foreign Ministry official said Cem's visit was important because it preceded an expected visit to Turkey by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Israel’s Chief of Staff, Shaul Mofaz, left Turkey Friday after a short visit, during which he met his Turkish counterpart Huseyin Kivrikoglu and Turkish Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu.
Some of the issues that were to be discussed were a proposed arms deal between the two countries, including one to upgrade dozens of Turkish M-60 Patton tanks.
The deal is estimated to be worth millions of dollars, and is key to improving the Israeli arms industry’s perilous economic situation.
Mofaz also discussed the continuation of joint army exercises, which have been on the rise lately. Approximately one month ago, the United States Air Force held a three-way exercise with Turkey and Israel, in Turkey.
Towards the end of the year, a three-way naval exercise is planned, the third of its kind in the past few years – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
