Jordan Times
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
King urges int’l probe into
flotilla killings
JT and Reuters
AMMAN/ISTANBUL - His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday called for an independent
international investigation into last week’s Israeli assault on the Gaza-bound
aid flotilla.
During a phone conversation with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, during which
His Majesty extended condolences over the death of Turkish activists in the
raid, King Abdullah described the Israeli attack as a “rejected crime and a
clear violation to international law”, a Royal Court statement said.
King Abdullah and Gul also discussed means to deal with latest developments in
the region in a way that serves the interests of Arab and Islamic issues, in
addition to bilateral ties.
Jordan, which condemned the assault of the Turkish ship, has blamed Israel for
the bloodshed.
Around 25 Jordanian activists, including political figures, were on board the
Mavi Marmara, the Turkish-owned vessel that came under the attack of Israel’s
navy commandos.
The Kingdom secured the return of more than 130 activists from the Gaza Freedom
Flotilla.
Israel has rejected such a proposal by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and said
it had the right to launch its own inquiry, saying that its forces acted in
self-defence after they were set upon by pro-Palestinian activists wielding
clubs and knives.
Activists received in Jordan included Malaysians, Indonesians, Bahrainis and
Syrians among others.
Also yesterday, the Monarch received a phone call from Indonesian President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who voiced his appreciation for King Abdullah and
Jordan’s efforts to facilitate the return journey of Indonesian nationals who
were on the aid flotilla.
During the phone call, the two leaders also discussed means to bolster
cooperation between the two countries in various fields.
Also on Monday, Turkey called for international punishment of Israel for its
deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, telling a regional summit yesterday that
Israel’s blockade of the territory should be lifted immediately.
Leaders from Russia, Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as Israel’s enemies Iran
and Syria are to attend two-day Eurasian and Middle East talks in Istanbul at
which Israel’s storming of the Turkish ship is likely to dominate discussions.
“The time has come to lift the embargo on Gaza,” Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan told a joint news conference with Syria’s President Bashar Assad.
“We don’t want an open-air prison in the world any more.”
Turkey wants a final declaration by the Interaction and Confidence Building
Measures in Asia (CICA) forum to condemn last Monday’s raid.
“If CICA is the OECD of Asia then the final declaration of the summit should
have a statement about Israel’s attack,” a Turkish official said, referring to
the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
“If there was such an attack in Hungary, for example, then all OECD countries
would have a say.”
Israel, a member of CICA, is sending a diplomat from its consulate in Ankara
rather than exposing a higher-ranking figure to the fury over last week’s
killings, which drew world censure.
Erdogan, who has said nothing would ever be the same between the two nations,
accused Israel of using disproportionate force and of committing a “war crime”.
Assad, whose country is not a member of CICA but is attending as a guest, struck
a similar anti-Israeli note, saying the killings reflected “the nature of
Israel”.
“Israel committed this crime knowingly and the forensics experts showed these
were murders,” Assad said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh participated in the meeting of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Monday in Istanbul. The
meeting came in preparation for the CICA conference. During the meeting,
discussions focused on means to enhance political and economic cooperation and
overcome common challenges facing Asia and Europe.