LOC21:48
18:48 GMT
ANKARA, Oct 12 (KUNA) -- Turkey said Tuesday it would boycott the biannual
tourism conference, to be held by the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in the occupied holy city of Jerusalem as of
October 20, in protest against recent "regrettable" remarks by Israeli
officials.
As an OSCE member, Turkey will not send any representative to the three-day
gathering, the country's Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay told
reporters here.
"To hold the conference in the occupied city is meant to have a political,
not touristic, significance; we want the conference to feature tourism, not
politics," the minister argued.
"In addition, regrettable statements have been made by Israeli officials
ahead of the event," Gunay argued.
Turkey's boycott, the third such move by an OSCE member, aims to send a
message to Israel which gained the OSCE membership in May, 2010, with Turkey's
consent.
Turkish-Israeli ties soured on May 31 when the Israeli commandoes stormed
an international aid flotilla; the deadly raid left 39 casualties, mainly
Turkish human right activists.
The United Kingdom and Spain have also stated boycott of the event on the
grounds that it could complicate the peace talks between the Palestinians and
Israel on the disputed future status of the holy city.
The moves could have future recurrences and set a precedent in boycotting
the events being held by the Jewish state in the occupied Jerusalem, observers
believe. (end)
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