Negotiations with Israel on compensation ‘not finalized’

ANKARA

Deputy PM Arınç sasy work on compensation has not yet been finalized. AA Photo

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said that talks with Israel on compensation for the Mavi Marmara victims and their families have not yet been finalized.

The parties involved have come to an agreement on some issues, but “due to some developments, there might be a need for a third discussion,” Arınç told reporters yesterday.

“Work on compensation has not yet been finalized. There has not been a consensus on some important subjects,” he noted.

On the other hand, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said that any apology, compensation from Israel or lifting of the embargo on the Gaza Strip would not be a consolation for Turkey’s “martyrs’ blood.”

“Whatever the amount of compensation, what is important is the protection of the rights of the citizens of the Republic of Turkey,” Davutoğlu told reporters late on May 7.
He noted, however, that Turkey and Israel agreed on the basic principles.