Turkey declines assistance offer from Israel after quake

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey declined an offer of aid from its former strategic ally Israel Sunday, October 23, after a powerful earthquake struck southeast Turkey, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

"I am under the impression the Turks do not want our help," Barak told Channel 2 News. "Right now (their answer) is negative but if they see they need more aid and don't have it, or if they rethink it, we have made the offer and remain prepared (to help)," he said.

According to Reuters, a Turkish foreign ministry official said later that Turkey had received offers of help from dozens of countries after the magnitude 7.2 quake, and had so far declined assistance from all of them.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had told all branches of government to offer whatever help they could to the people of Turkey. "I think this is what neighbors should be doing with one another," he told reporters.

Israeli President Shimon Peres spoke with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul earlier Sunday in what was believed to be their first conversation since the envoy was expelled.

"At this difficult time Israel is willing to provide any aid required anywhere in Turkey and at any time," Peres told Gul, according to a statement issued by Peres's office.

Gul told Peres that Turkey was still assessing the damage from the earthquake and that he hoped Turkish rescue teams could handle the disaster, the Israeli statement said.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Israel was willing to provide "anything from food, medicine, medical staff and equipment to search-and-rescue teams."