DAVOS 2009
Hero's welcome for Turkish leader after Davos walkout
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DAVOS, Switzerland: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan flew home to a hero's welcome on Friday after walking off the stage following an angry exchange over the Gaza war with the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The episode Thursday had all the overtones of a diplomatic incident, ruffling relations between Israel and a Muslim ally that is playing a key role in Middle East peace efforts.
The semiofficial Anatolian News Agency reported that Peres called Erdogan five minutes after the walkout in Davos to apologize for any misunderstanding, saying that his remarks about Israel's Gaza offensive had not been directed at the prime minister personally. In Jerusalem, a spokeswoman for Peres, Meital Jaslovitz, described the telephone conversation as "positive." But, she said on Friday, there was no apology from Peres, contrary to the Turkish news agency report.
Erdogan did not seem apologetic, either.
"I only know that I'm responsible for protecting the honor of the Turkish Republic, the Turkish nation from A to Z," Erdogan said as he returned to Istanbul. "I am not a leader of a tribe. I am the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey. I do whatever I need to, so I did it, and will continue to do so. This is my character. This is my identity."
"It was a matter of my country's respect and prestige. Therefore, my attitude should have been clear," he said. "I couldn't have allowed anyone to hurt the prestige and especially the honor of my country."
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Live television footage showed crowds waving Palestinian and Turkish flags at Istanbul's Ataturk airport while chanting slogans in support of the prime minister. Banners proclaimed Erdogan the "delegate of the oppressed" and said: "Let the world see a proper prime minister." The passions reflected widespread anger over the Gaza war in Turkey, a secular nation whose population is mostly Muslim.
The incident came just days before President Obama's new Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, had planned to visit Turkey to discuss regional peace efforts as part of a tour of several countries. However, on Friday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, speaking in return for customary anonymity under diplomatic rules, said the visit had been postponed because of "severe scheduling constraints." The decision to put off the visit was made before the altercation in Davos, the spokesperson said.
In Davos, Erdogan apparently became incensed after the moderator curtailed his response to remarks by Peres on the recent Israeli military campaign. The panel was running late, and Peres was to have had the last word, participants said.
Panel discussions at Davos are restricted to one hour, but Erdogan insisted on responding to Peres. Red-faced, and with one hand grasping the arm of the moderator, the columnist David Ignatius of The Washington Post, Erdogan turned to the Israeli president.
"Mr. Peres, you are older than me," he said. "Your voice comes out in a very high tone. And the high tone of your voice has to do with a guilty conscience. My voice, however, will not come out in the same tone."
Resisting efforts by Ignatius to end the session, Erdogan continued, saying to Peres, "When it comes to killing, you know well how to kill."
Eventually, the prime minister gathered up his papers and departed, saying, "And so Davos is over for me from now on."
Peres pointed at the departing Erdogan and said Turkey would have reacted as Israel did had rockets been falling on Istanbul, participants said.
In a news conference immediately after the panel discussion, Erdogan said he was particularly upset with Ignatius, who he said had failed to direct a balanced and impartial panel.
By all accounts, the discussion of the Gaza offensive was lively, with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations and Amr Moussa, the Arab League's secretary general, joining Peres and Erdogan. Participants said Peres was mostly alone in defending Israel's role in Gaza, and for that reason he was given the final 25 minutes to speak. Earlier, Erdogan spoke for 12 minutes about the Palestinians' sufferings.
Although Erdogan has strongly criticized Israel's Gaza offensive, his country and Israel have long enjoyed close diplomatic relations. With its strong relations with the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, Erdogan's Justice and Development Party has played a growing role mediating among Israel, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians.
Katrin Bennhold reported from Davos, Switzerland, and Sebnem Arsu from Istanbul. Alan Cowell contributed from Paris.
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