US should correct ‘grave mistake’ on Jerusalem status: Presidential spokesperson
ANKARA
The U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is against international conventions and U.N. decisions, and will amount to a “grave mistake,” Turkish Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said on Dec. 6.
Washington should “immediately turn away from this grave mistake that will virtually eliminate the fragile Middle East peace process,” Kalın told reporters at a press conference.
He said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was holding phone conversations with heads of states regarding the issue. State-run Anadolu Agency said Erdoğan was in contact with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Tunisian President Mohamed Beji Caid Essebsi, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Kalın reiterated Erdoğan’s statement that Jerusalem is a “red line” for Muslims, adding that Ankara welcomes the messages given by King Saudi Arabia in a telephone conversation with Trump yesterday.
He also said Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member state leaders will convene for an extraordinary meeting in Istanbul on Dec. 13 in order to present joint action among Muslim countries on the move.
During his election campaign last year, Trump repeatedly promised to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem remains at the core of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem - currently occupied by Israel – might eventually serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
Erdoğan and Merkel discuss Adil Öksüz
Meanwhile, Kalın also stated that Erdoğan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently discussed the situation of Adil Öksüz, a fugitive key suspect in connection to Turkey’s July 2016 coup attempt.
Merkel pledged to work on the issue as a red bulletin has been issued for Öksüz following claims that he is in Germany, Kalın said.
