TURKEY TO JOIN INTERNATIONAL COALITION AGAINST ASSAD

Ankara, 21 Shawwal 1434/27 August 2013 (MINA) – Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Bulent Arinc said that Turkey will join an international coalition to take action against the Syrian regime.

“If an alliance comes out of the UN Security Council’s decision, the Turkish Foreign Minister announced that Ankara would join such a coalition,” Arinc said on Tuesday.

“That alliance cannot happen with 3 or 4 countries. It can consist of 20 to 25 countries. Turkey can join such a coalition or any other mission to end this massacre with humanitarian responsibility,” he said, Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

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Arinc expressed that if required the government can ask the parliament for permission to join the to be established coalition.

Deputy PM underlined that joining such a bloc is not only a government decision, as the permission of Turkey’s parliament would be necessary.

Arinc said that Turkey had taken some steps against the Syrian regime originating from parliamentary approval last year.

“If new approval is required, we can apply to the Turkish parliament. Given that the opposition would say ‘no’, our government will try to get the necessary approval to join an international coalition.”

The government had received the Turkish parliament’s approval to take action against Damascus after a Syrian military missile which landed in Akcakale, Hatay killed 5 people in 2012. That prior permission expires in October 3rd, 2013.

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Negotiation with Israel continues

About compensation for victims of the Mavi Marmara board, expressed that they are still talking with the Israeli government so as to reach an agreement regarding the compensation.

After Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu’s apology, Arinc noted that they have had two talks with the Tel Aviv government, one in Turkey, the other in Jerusalem.

“We told them ‘we will calculate the compensations.’ At the beginning we agreed on this parameter, but later on the Israeli government wished to pay a symbolic price rather than a compensation resulting from an unjust act. We could not agree on this matter.”

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Arinc emphasized that an agreement will be in favor of the two countries as well as the injured people, but especially Israel itself. The Turkish Deputy PM indicated otuo the deal will be brought into parliament’s agenda and that a solid agreement is needed to secure an approval. (T/P09/P04).

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)