Meshaal and Davutoglu discuss reconciliation and Gaza siege

Yesterday (19.07.2010), the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, met with Khaled Meshaal, head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Damascus to discuss various issues relating to Palestine.

The Turkish News agency, Anatolia News, said that the officials discussed efforts to bring the position of the two Palestinian factions; Hamas and Fatah, closer together. It was also reported that the so-called peace process was addressed during discussions.

The meeting was attended by a number of members of Hamas’ political bureau, where methods of breaking the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian reconciliation and recent developments within the Palestinian arena were discussed.

---

Davutoglu reiterated his country’s support for the Palestinian cause and indicated that Turkey would continue with its efforts toward breaking the siege on the Strip. He also stressed Turkish insistence on certain demands; that Israel apologises for the massacre perpetrated against the ‘freedom flotilla’, that it pays compensation to the injured and the relatives of those killed and that an international commission of inquiry into the incident be established.

The Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal, highlighted the various steps being taken by the Israeli Occupation Forces with a view to strengthening their settlement activities in the West Bank and particularly in Occupied Jerusalem. He also spoke about Israel’s attempts to Judaise the holy city and to displace its Jerusalemite population.

Meshaal praised the role Turkey has played and the support it has given to the Palestinian cause and the efforts of the Erdogan government to break the siege imposed on Gaza. He also confirmed that Turkish demands related to the massacre on the ‘freedom flotilla’ were legitimate.