Turkey condemns Israel despite declaration veto
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With Israel vetoing a condemnation of its raid on the Gaza flotilla by an international summit, Turkey held a separate press conference here on Tuesday to condemn Israel.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said, "All the members, except one, expressed their grave concern and condemnation of the actions undertaken by the Israeli defense forces against the international civilian flotilla transporting humanitarian aid materials to the Gaza Strip."
The Turkish president made the statement at a press conference held shortly after the conclusion of the third Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
The final declaration by CICA summit can only be made by consensus, and Israel is the only one among the 22 members which vetoed the condemnation.
"This showed how Israel has isolated itself from the other 21 countries," said Gul.
He said unlike stateless terrorist organizations, this is the first time a sovereign state's military committed such an act against civilians, and that it is not possible for Turkey to forgive Israel for its actions.
The non-Israel members of CICA also supported a measure to establish an independent international commission led by the United Nations to investigate the matter in a "credible, thorough and transparent manner."
The CICA members also stressed the importance of lifting the " inhumane" blockade on the Gaza Strip, saying it has been counter- productive to regional peace and stability.
CICA was established in 1993 at the initiative of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev as a forum for dialogue and consultations and promotion of confidence building measures among its members on security and development.
CICA has diverse membership from all sub-regions of Asia including Central Asia, South East Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.
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