................Arab League May 20119/13/2011
Arabs, Turks should share joint destiny -- Erdogan
CAIRO, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called for what he described "a joint Arab-Turkish future based on freedoms and democracy and human rights." Such an aspired destiny should allow Turks and Arabs to share the same doctrine, culture and values, said Erdogan, addressing the 136th session of the Arab League's Ministerial meeting that kicked off here earlier today.
On Turkey's strained ties with Israel, Erdogan assailed Tel Aviv for abstention from apologizing to his nation for last year's fatal command attack on the flotilla that carried humanitarian aid to the besieged Gazans.
He warned international powers that in case they continued to support Israel in this respect, "they would be viewed as accomplices of the crimee," alluding to death of at least eight Yurkish activists on the assaulted vessel at sea.
"Israel must apologize and present compensations for the families of the martyrs and lift the blockade on Gaza, otherwise, there will be no normalization of ties between Turkey and Israel," the prime minister stressed.
Erdogan indirectly threatened to resort to military force if Israel re-launched such an attack on a national target saying that Ankara "can take necessary precautions to protect its navigation in the Mediterrean."
He praised the Arab League recognition of the Libyan Transitional Council, called on Arab states to launch reforms and meet peoples' aspiration toward justice and democracy.
The prime minister declared that Ankara would seek to prosecute Israel internationally.
He declared support for the Palestinians' quest to proclaim an independent state, "It's about time that the Palestinian flag be hosted at the United Nations," he said.
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