Erdogan meets Katsav, visits Yad Vashem

Описание: (2 May 2005) SHOTLIST

1. Erdogan shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon
2. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Ariel Sharon, Israeli Prime Minister:
"Hello everyone. We are glad to host Mr Erdogan, the Prime Minister of Turkey. Turkey is a very big country - 70 (M) million citizens - and it is a central country in our region."
3. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Prime Minister:
"We are pleased with the Jewish people. From the 15th century and until today our relationships is obvious to everyone. Our ancestors have contributed to peace and as grandchildren of our ancestors, we have always contributed to peace. We are here for historical reasons and I hope that we will succeed. Thank you very much."
4. Wide shot Hall of Remembrance in the Holocaust Memorial Museum
5. Erdogan close-up
6. Erdogan laying wreath at the ceremony at the Hall of Remembrance

STORYLINE

In a sign of closer ties, Israel and Turkey on Sunday said they would set up a hot line for instant communications.

The announcement was made after talks between visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The hot line between the prime ministers' offices is to boost joint anti-terror efforts and other coordination.

Earlier on Sunday, Erdogan laid a wreath at Israel's Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem.

But in a break with protocol, he did not cover his head at the Hall of Remembrance, where the ceremony took place.

Israel and Turkey, an overwhelmingly Muslim state, have long had strong military ties and important trade links.

But relations grew strained last year when Erdogan, whose party has its roots in Turkey's Islamic movement, strongly criticised Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.

Erdogan called off a previous planned visit last year after Israel killed the leader of the Islamist Hamas militant group, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, in a
missile strike.

Relations thawed after Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul visited in January and Erdogan has expressed hope that Turkey could act as a mediator between Israel and the Muslim world.

The prime minister on Monday planned to meet Palestinian leaders and visit a hotly contested Jerusalem holy site following a day of talks with Israeli leaders aimed at repairing strained relations.

He was to visit the Al Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem, Islam's third-holiest site, built on the ruins of the biblical Jewish Temples.

The site, claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians, is one of the most explosive issues in the region.

World leaders have been flooding into the region in recent months to capitalise on a drop in violence and new hope for peace following the death
of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat last year.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair visited in December and Russian President Vladimir Putin came last week, in the first visit there by a Kremlin leader.

Both visits were seen as efforts by the leaders to burnish their international reputations by casting themselves as key mediators in the
Mideast conflict.

With some in Washington questioning Turkey's role as a strategic ally, and Europeans increasingly sceptical about letting Turkey into the European Union, Erdogan appeared to have come for the same reason.

Israel has welcomed the visit, which it can use to showcase the benefits of its alliance with a Muslim nation.

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