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Turkish PM Erdogan storms out of Davos debate |
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Written by Agencies
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Friday, 30 January 2009 08:51 |
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The Turkish prime minister has stormed out of a heated debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos over Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out of the televised debate on Thursday, after the moderator refused to allow him to rebut the Israeli president's justification about the war that left about 1,300 Gazans dead.
Erdogan said: "I find it very sad that people applaud what you said. There have been many people killed. And I think that it is very wrong and it is not humanitarian."
Ignatius twice attempted to finish the debate, saying, "We really do need to get people to dinner."
Erdogan then said: "Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. I don't think I will come back to Davos after this."
Mr Erdogan, sitting beside Prof Schwab in a press conference, said that he had walked out because David Ignatius, a Washington Post columnist chairing the session, had not allowed him to reply to comments about the conflict in Gaza by Mr Peres.
Mr Peres had spoken for 25 minutes, twice the time Mr Erdogan had spoken and five times the length of time participants had been given for their opening remarks, he said.
Mr Ignatius had reached out to tap Mr Erdogan on the shoulder as his speech overran, prompting the Turkish prime minister to push him away.
Mr Erdogan complained that Mr Peres had raised his voice and addressed him “in a manner not in line with…the spirit of Davos.”
“I have great respect for Peres and for his age,” he said, but what the Israeli leader had said about Gaza was “not true because history refutes it and political science too”. Mr Erdogan said at the press conference he would talk to Mr Schwab about whether to return, but a repeat of the moderation “would cast a shadow over efforts to reach peace.”
“I always yield when it is necessary but that does not mean I will always take the lower hand,” he said.
Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the Arab League and former Egyptian foreign minister, said Erdogan's action was understandable. He said: "Mr Erdogan said what he wanted to say and then he left. That's all. He was right," adding that Israel "doesn't listen".
United Nations Secretary Generals Ban Ki-moon and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa were also in the debate held on the second day of the summit, where business and political leaders have been discussing trade, financial regulation and global security.
Israel has long regarded Turkey as its closest ally among Muslim states, and has traditionally enjoyed diplomatic, commercial and military ties with Ankara. When the current Israeli government started its latest peace initiative with Syria, which has since been frozen, Turkey acted as the principal mediator.
However, relations have taken a turn for the worse since Israel launched its offensive against the Gaza Strip in late December. |