Israel’s Levy pays critical visit
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 04, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - As the opposition steps up criticism of a government-sponsored draft bill on de-mining the Turkish-Syrian border on the argument that the land would be leased to an Israeli company for 44 years, Israeli Ambassador to Ankara Gaby Levy turns up in Parliament for a meeting with an opposition deputy. The government, meanwhile, defends the draft bill
Israel’s top diplomat in Ankara yesterday held a surprise meeting with an opposition deputy in Parliament before discussions began on the controversial bill on de-mining the Syrian border amid the mounting criticism due to the Israeli link.
Ambassador Gaby Levy met with opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, deputy Şahin Mengü. Although no statement was made to the press about the content of the meeting, CHP’s İzmir deputy Ahmet Ersin interpreted the visit as an Israeli attempt to influence Parliament at a critical time.
Turkey, a party to the Ottawa Convention obliging signature countries to de-mine their territories by 2014, is planning to remove the mines along the border by hiring a company and using the build-operate-transfer model.
Opposition parties and even some members of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, united in rejecting the bill, which allows foreign companies to lease the land for 44 years in return for removing the landmines. Only Israeli companies have shown an interest in a tender to be announced when the bill passes.
In Parliament, CHP’s Mengü said the issue of mine clearing was not discussed during his meeting with the Israeli ambassador, while Levy left insistent questions from the press unanswered.
"[The ambassador] came for a cup of coffee, he drank his coffee in five minutes and left," said Mengü, adding that the request for a meeting came from the Israeli ambassador. "The landmine issue was not discussed. If it were the case, how could I meet with him without permission from the party headquarters?" he asked.
"That was a routine meeting that takes place from to time between the ambassador and members of Parliament," Amit Zarouk, spokesman for the Israeli ambassador, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
CHP’s Ersin, who knew Levy was in Parliament but was uninformed of the ambassador’s meeting with the CHP deputy, criticized the visit by saying it demonstrated the intention of Israel, recalling a recent visit by the ambassador to the border region.
"Now he [Levy] is in Parliament. It seems [Israelis] want to influence Parliament. This shows the AKP and the prime minister promised to transfer the land to an Israeli company for the use of the land in organic agriculture, otherwise it is not possible to explain through other means why Israel is exerting enormous efforts at the embassy level," he said.
PM defends mine bill citing benefits to country
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defended the bill saying that it would bring benefits to Turkey.
"There is no identified country or company behind our [de-mining] bill," he said at an AKP mayors’ meeting in Ankara. "I hope it is a representative from an international defense organization [for de-mining]. Indeed, I hope my country’s institutions come and take this job. Today’s [Wednesday] newspapers said, for example, that OSTİM [organized industrial zone in Ankara] says it could do this job. If it succeeds, we would be proud of that," said Erdoğan.
He said it would be easier to see what would happen and who would clear the land after the bill is passed in Parliament, reiterating that the opposition’s claims were baseless and far from reality.
After the prime minister’s verbal confrontation with the Israeli president at a panel debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the government’s plans to open a tender to give the de-mining mission to global actors including Israeli companies were criticized by the opposition. "We stand the same way in our country as how we stood in Davos. There is no difference," defended Erdoğan. Parliament was debating the bill when the Daily News went to print yesterday. Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan postponed a visit to Croatia due to the pending bill.
Ambassador Gaby Levy met with opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, deputy Şahin Mengü. Although no statement was made to the press about the content of the meeting, CHP’s İzmir deputy Ahmet Ersin interpreted the visit as an Israeli attempt to influence Parliament at a critical time.
Turkey, a party to the Ottawa Convention obliging signature countries to de-mine their territories by 2014, is planning to remove the mines along the border by hiring a company and using the build-operate-transfer model.
Opposition parties and even some members of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, united in rejecting the bill, which allows foreign companies to lease the land for 44 years in return for removing the landmines. Only Israeli companies have shown an interest in a tender to be announced when the bill passes.
In Parliament, CHP’s Mengü said the issue of mine clearing was not discussed during his meeting with the Israeli ambassador, while Levy left insistent questions from the press unanswered.
"[The ambassador] came for a cup of coffee, he drank his coffee in five minutes and left," said Mengü, adding that the request for a meeting came from the Israeli ambassador. "The landmine issue was not discussed. If it were the case, how could I meet with him without permission from the party headquarters?" he asked.
"That was a routine meeting that takes place from to time between the ambassador and members of Parliament," Amit Zarouk, spokesman for the Israeli ambassador, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
CHP’s Ersin, who knew Levy was in Parliament but was uninformed of the ambassador’s meeting with the CHP deputy, criticized the visit by saying it demonstrated the intention of Israel, recalling a recent visit by the ambassador to the border region.
"Now he [Levy] is in Parliament. It seems [Israelis] want to influence Parliament. This shows the AKP and the prime minister promised to transfer the land to an Israeli company for the use of the land in organic agriculture, otherwise it is not possible to explain through other means why Israel is exerting enormous efforts at the embassy level," he said.
PM defends mine bill citing benefits to country
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defended the bill saying that it would bring benefits to Turkey.
"There is no identified country or company behind our [de-mining] bill," he said at an AKP mayors’ meeting in Ankara. "I hope it is a representative from an international defense organization [for de-mining]. Indeed, I hope my country’s institutions come and take this job. Today’s [Wednesday] newspapers said, for example, that OSTİM [organized industrial zone in Ankara] says it could do this job. If it succeeds, we would be proud of that," said Erdoğan.
He said it would be easier to see what would happen and who would clear the land after the bill is passed in Parliament, reiterating that the opposition’s claims were baseless and far from reality.
After the prime minister’s verbal confrontation with the Israeli president at a panel debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the government’s plans to open a tender to give the de-mining mission to global actors including Israeli companies were criticized by the opposition. "We stand the same way in our country as how we stood in Davos. There is no difference," defended Erdoğan. Parliament was debating the bill when the Daily News went to print yesterday. Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan postponed a visit to Croatia due to the pending bill.