The Turkish officials stressed U.S. should "give up supporting Israel"

PanARMENIAN.Net - The new U.S. administration broke its silence over the Davos crisis urging Turkey to fix its strained relations with Israel, while Turkey reiterated its position that a solution to the Middle East issue is impossible without including Hamas, Hurriyet Daily News reports.



As it is mentioned in the article, the exchange of messages came during the talks that George Mitchell, the Middle East envoy of the U.S. President Barack Obama, held during his two-day visit to Ankara. Mitchell met with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan on Thursday.



Mitchell said Turkey can have a significant influence on the U.S. efforts to reach a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.



"As an important democratic nation with strong relations with Israel, Turkey has a unique role to play and can have significant influence on our efforts to promote comprehensive peace in the Middle East," he told reporters after his meeting with Erdogan.



Mitchell underlined that "Turkey is an important ally of the U.S." and the Washington administration welcomes Turkey's decision to attend a donors conference on Gaza scheduled on March 2 in Egypt.



According to the Turkish agency, during the meeting, diplomatic sources said, Turkey reiterated its stance that a peace agreement cannot be reached without including Hamas in the equation. The Turkish officials stressed that the U.S. should "give up supporting Israel", according to the diplomatic sources. Turkey urged the U.S. to pursue a balanced diplomacy in the Middle East after "a too pro-Israel approach of the George W. Bush administration," sources added.



"I told Hamas to recognize 1993 Oslo peace negotiations because continuity is of vital importance in state policies. We have urged Hamas to take into account that continuity," Erdogan told Mitchell.



Erdogan also said that Turkish government was pleased with efforts of the Obama administration for quest of a longlasting solution in the Middle East.



However, he said the Turkish government expected international and U.S. efforts to open border crossings to Gaza to supply humanitarian aid to 50,000 Palestinian people who are living in tents.