'Israel-Turkey talks to resume in NY'

Turkish diplomat tells Hürriyet daily that despite failure to resolve differences, countries' representatives will hold another round of negotiations in late July

Ynet |Published: 07.09.11 , 13:35

After failing to resolve their differences during three-day talks this week, Israel and Turkey will resume negotiations later this month in New York, Özdem Sanberk, the Turkish member of the UN panel investigating the Israeli raid on the aid ship Mavi Marmara, told the Hürriyet daily on Friday.

Jerusalem and Ankara have been trying to solve the crisis in the past few months ahead of the publication of the UN report, but to no avail. The report's release has been postponed to July 27.

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The next round of talks between Israel and Turkey is also expected to be held in New York, although an exact timetable has yet to be set.

Turkey is demanding that Israel apologize for the death of nine activists onboard the Marmara ship during the IDF raid, a demand Israel has refused to accept.

But this isn't the only problem. Sources in Turkey say Ankara won't have the report authorize the blockade on the Gaza Strip and insists on the siege being defined as "illegal", as determined by the UN Human Rights Council.

Israeli sources said the report would include the conclusion that Israel acted prematurely against the flotilla activists last year and used excessive power, but that its actions were legal and that the blockade on Gaza was legal. The report will also criticize Turkey.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan said on Friday it was "unthinkable" to normalize ties with Israel unless the Jewish state apologized for the killing of nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists aboard the Gaza-bound Turkish ship.