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Last update - 12:00 02/11/2009
After snubbing Israel, Turkey to hold defense drills with Syria
By Reuters
Tags: Haaretz TV, Israel News 

Syria said on Tuesday it would hold military exercises with Turkey, shortly after Turkey canceled maneuvers with Israel.

Ankara's decision, which was commended by Syria, revived fears of cooler relations between Israel and NATO member Turkey.

"We held our first joint land military exercise (with Turkey) last spring. And today we have agreed to do a more comprehensive, a bigger one," said Syrian Defense Minister Ali Habib, speaking at a news conference.
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Turkey, a secular Muslim country, has been a key ally of Israel, but ties have been strained over Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's harsh criticism of Israel's three-week offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in December and January.

Both Turkey and Israel on Monday denied the cancellation of air force exercises scheduled for this week posed any threat to their long-standing bilateral ties and strategic interests.

In Washington, the U.S. State Department on Tuesday objected to Turkey's last-minute decision to exclude Israel from the exercise.

"We think it's inappropriate for any nation to be removed from an exercise like this at the last minute," said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.

But Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem commended Ankara canceling of the exercises, in comments made during a high-level meeting of Turkish and Syrian ministers.

"We extremely welcome that decision. This decision is based on Turkey's approach towards Israel and reflects the way Turkey regards the Israeli attack in Gaza," Moualem told reporters in the Syrian city of Aleppo, where 10 Turkish ministers met 15 Syrian ministers to discuss energy and electricity projects.

European Union candidate Turkey, under Erdogan's Islamist-rooted AK party, has deepened its ties and influence in the Middle East, expanding Ankara's foreign policy beyond its traditional Western-oriented focus and strengthening ties with countries such as Syria and Iran.

Turkey denied any political motive behind the decision to "postpone" the exercise with Israel and called on Israel to display "common sense" in their statements.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday repeated Ankara's position that it had not singled out Israel as a political punishment but had decided to call off the international stage of the military exercises, which would have also included the United States, Italy and NATO.

But he told reporters in Aleppo: "Our sensitivity on Gaza, East Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque are there. If these sensitivities are taken into consideration the peace process would resume in the region."

A senior government source told Reuters Israel had been excluded because of the Gaza offensive, saying it would have been inappropriate to carry out military exercises right now.

Once on the brink of war over Kurdish separatist rebels, Turkey and Syria have strengthened their commercial ties and have signed a bilateral visa-free agreement.

Israel, which has enjoyed close military cooperation with Turkey as well as bilateral trade worth nearly $3 billion, has urged Ankara to consider cooling ties with Palestinian Islamists Hamas and with Iran. Erdogan is due to visit Iran this month.

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      1.   Problems with turky 16:40  |  flower, 01/11/09
      2.   Turkey? 16:40  |  Ben 01/11/09
      3.   Than how about a drill with Israel and Greece. 16:40  |  Nice 01/11/09
      4.   All Jews and Israelis should boycott Turkey 16:40  |  Mark Jeffery Koch 01/11/09
      5.   Turkey 16:40  |  captain grumpy 01/11/09
      6.   snubbing Israel 16:40  |  proud american 01/11/09
      7.   Turkey and the EU 16:40  |  Ron 01/11/09
      8.   Stop them before is too late. 16:40  |  American 01/11/09
      9.   NATO is dead. RIP. America can only blame itself. 16:40  |  Ami ben Abraam 01/11/09
      10.   Turkey providing a vision of the future for Israel 16:40  |  Jacob Blues 01/11/09
      11.   Evidently Turkey has no problem with Syria`s human rights record 16:40  |  McQueen 01/11/09
      12.   American foreign policy unraveling at alarming rate 16:40  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/11/09
      13.   Who snubbed whom? 16:40  |  Mark Lincoln 01/11/09
      14.   # 1 flower 16:40  |  Bob 01/11/09
      15.   Turkey is powe and big countrry in region. Conjecture have chance 16:40  |  FATIH 01/11/09
      16.   Boycott Turkey 16:40  |  Sane American 01/11/09
      17.   Israel, Turkey, Armenia.. 16:40  |  Ed 01/11/09
      18.   Turkey has no scientific or tech know-how 16:40  |  mehmet 01/11/09
      19.   good luck wih Syria 16:40  |  john 01/11/09
      20.   Turkey should be 100% secular and criticize both Hamas and israel 16:40  |  mehmet 01/11/09
      21.   # 3 nice 16:40  |  Axel 01/11/09
      22.   misleading 16:40  |  Florian 01/11/09
      23.   I`m not having kebab anymore 16:40  |  Joey 01/11/09
      24.   We must move together 16:40  |  Cengiz 01/11/09
      25.   israel loses alllies but still nobody critising Gaza massacre 16:40  |  Sons of Noah 01/11/09
      26.   #3 nice: you`re so sure about Greeks loves you soo much!!! 16:40  |  Bulent 01/11/09
      27.   You are the Real Haters!!! 16:40  |  Ahmet 01/11/09
      28.   What cloud is Israel living on? 16:40  |  r cummings 01/11/09
      29.   Lol 16:40  |  Ali 01/11/09
      30.   America`s foreign policy unraveling 16:40  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/11/09
      31.   America`s foreign policy unraveling 16:40  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/11/09
      32.   What about Israel? 16:40  |  Lutfi 01/11/09
      33.   The Kurds and Armenians.... 16:40  |  Druid 01/11/09
      34.   Also who opening cards 16:40  |  Ali 01/11/09
      35.   to #15 Religion is a driving force for innovation. 16:40  |  John 01/11/09
      36.   The salient question is... 16:40  |  Esther 01/11/09
      37.   How are u gonna boycott Turkey? 16:40  |  Sibel 01/11/09
      38.   Turkey answering back ! 16:40  |  Akram Zekaria 01/11/09
      39.   AXEL THE USA & European states are happy to excesize with Israel 16:40  |  PETER SM 01/11/09
      40.   MEHMET The disguise isoff.Edrogan talks&behaves like the Islamist 16:40  |  PETER SM 01/11/09
      41.   From a different perspective... 16:40  |  Maya 01/11/09
      42.   BULENT Greeks love you even less.That`s all it takes 16:40  |  PETER SM 01/11/09
      43.   Turkey 16:40  |  Resul 01/11/09
      44.   #1 flower 16:40  |  Jim 01/11/09
      45.   Turkey is doing wrong 16:40  |  Monastras 01/11/09
      46.   Mehmet - I agree and disagree 16:40  |  David Israel 01/11/09
      47.   Cengiz hamserim I don`t understand also 16:40  |  David Israel 01/11/09
      48.   Sibel 16:40  |  David Israel 01/11/09
      49.   Resul - Not according to ZAMAN newspaper 16:40  |  David Isarel 01/11/09
      50.   Why?... 16:40  |  Fatih 01/11/09
      51.   Cipora Kohn`s fearmongering... 16:40  |  Silvienne 01/11/09
      52.   #4, Mark Jeffery Koch.... 16:40  |  Silvienne 01/11/09
      53.   Blame Israel, not Turkey 16:40  |  Fatih 01/11/09
      54.   # 3 nice 16:40  |  Axel 01/11/09
      55.   Fatih - years ago Turkey made agreements with Israel 16:40  |  David Isarel 01/11/09
      56.   Israel to Turkey: Bring plenty of parts and mechanics 16:40  |  Chaim Ben Kahan 01/11/09
      57.   weapons to the ennemy 16:40  |  Philippe 01/11/09
      58.   #47 Silvienne 16:40  |  Gianni 01/11/09
      59.   It`s Up To Turks Who To Be Friends With 16:40  |  massaraksh 01/11/09
      60.   #30 CIPORA 16:40  |  Courcey 01/11/09
      61.   Esther # 36 16:40  |  American in NY 01/11/09
      62.   Even Barak can`t hide Turkey alligned itself with Syria and Iran 16:40  |  Fortuna Benmayor 01/11/09
      63.   Silvienne and who would like to go there? 16:40  |  Josh 01/11/09
      64.   Utter hubris 16:40  |  bob 01/11/09
      65.   Turkey realizes they are next to expand Jewish empire 16:40  |  USC 01/11/09
      66.   With the Turkish problems: Armenian Genocide, Kurds and Israel... 16:40  |  Mark Leaman 01/11/09
      67.   Syria Yearning for Ottomon... 16:40  |  FOX 01/11/09
      68.   turkey/israel 16:40  |  selim 01/11/09
      69.   Selim from Izmir 16:40  |  David Israel 01/11/09
      70.   #57, Bob....well said! 16:40  |  Silvienne 01/11/09
      71.   Josh thinks rapists stick to Amsterdam... 16:40  |  Silvienne 01/11/09
      72.   PETER SM. greeks and beıng anti -zionist 16:40  |  Bulent 01/11/09
      73.   ERDOGAN and DAVUDOGLU 16:40  |  Bulent 01/11/09
      74.   Bulent from Istanbul 16:40  |  David Israel 01/11/09
      75.   Israel and Turkey 16:40  |  shivon 01/11/09
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