LOC09:08
06:08 GMT
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
UNITED NATIONS, March 23 (KUNA) -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon late
Friday welcomed as a "positive" and "hopeful sign" for the region's stability
the restoration of normal relations earlier in the day between Turkey and
Israel.
Their relations were restored after Turkey accepted Israel's apology for
killing nine Turkish activists during the raid on the Mavi Marmari which was
trying to violate the naval blockade on Gaza in 2010. Israel also said it will
compensate the victims' families.
"The Secretary-General welcomes that the Governments of Israel and Turkey
have agreed to restore normal relations between them... Today's announcement
is an important and hopeful signal for the stability of the region," the UN
chief press office said in a statement said.
Ban also expressed appreciation for President Obama's role in convincing
the leaderships in both countries to reach "this positive outcome."
He added that assisting Israel and Turkey in restoring their good relations
had been a core objective of his efforts in the aftermath of the May 2010
flotilla incident.
The restoration of the Turkish-Israeli relations comes at a time the US
needs the cohesion and help of all leaders in the region to find a solution to
the Syria crisis and a way forward in the Middle East peace process. (end)
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