Turkey summons US diplomat

Press Tv

Turkey has summoned a top US diplomat to protest against Washington's interference in a UN mandate probing Israel's deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. A Turkish diplomat said on Wednesday that Doug Silliman, the deputy chief of the mission at the US Embassy in Ankara, was called to the Foreign Ministry on Monday "for a reprimand" following comments by the US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice about the fact-finding mission. Shortly after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced that a four-member committee would begin investigating the deadly attack in which nine civilian activists were killed by Israeli commandos, Rice said that the UN inquiry was "not a substitute" for national investigations being carried out by Israel and Turkey. Her remarks, which were considered as an attempt to determine the commission's purpose, gave rise to complaints in Turkey. "The United States is viewing the commission from a narrow perspective. (Rice's) statement was one that seemed to give the impression the US was determining the commission's work," a diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity. Ankara also criticized Washington for viewing the mission as a device to repair Turkish-Israeli ties, which plunged into an all-time low following the May 31 raid on a Turkish-flagged aid ship in international waters. "The raid is an issue between the international community and Israel, and not between Turkey and Israel. There were people from 30 different countries on those ships. This commission is tasked with investigating the incident. Its duty is not to absolve Israel or improve Turkish-Israeli ties," the diplomat said. Ankara has repeatedly said that it will only restore relations with Tel Aviv after Israel apologizes over the raid, pay compensation for the victims and lift the Gaza blockade.