DAVOS 2009
Leaders of Turkey and Israel clash at Davos panel
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DAVOS, Switzerland: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey walked off the stage after an angry exchange with the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, during a panel discussion on Gaza at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, and vowed never to return to the annual gathering.
Erdogan apparently became incensed after he was prevented by the moderator from responding to remarks by Peres on the recent Israeli attack. The panel was running late and Peres was to have had the last word, participants said.
Panel discussions at Davos are strictly restricted to one hour, but Erdogan insisted on responding to Peres. Red faced, and with one hand grasping the arm of the moderator, David Ignatius of the Washington Post, Erdogan turned to the Israeli president.
" 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."
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Eventually, the prime minister gathered up his papers and departed from the stage, saying, "And so Davos is over for me from now on."
Peres pointed a finger at the departing Erdogan and told him that Turkey would have reacted the same way had rockets been falling on Istanbul, participants said. But the Israeli president called Erdogan five minutes later to apologize for any misunderstanding, saying that his words had not been directed at the prime minister personally, the semi-official Anatolian Agency reported.
In a news conference immediately following the panel discussion, Erdogan said that 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 incursion was a lively one, with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Amr Moussa, the secretary general of the Arab League, joining Peres and Erdogan. For the most part, participants said, Peres was alone in defending the Israeli role in Gaza, which is why he was given the final 25 minutes to speak. Earlier, Erdogan had spoken for 12 minutes about the sufferings of the Palestinians.
While Erdogan has strongly criticized the Israeli military action in Gaza, his country and Israel have long enjoyed close diplomatic relations. With its strong relations with the militant group Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in 2007, Erdogan's Justice and Development Party has played an increasingly important role mediating among Israel, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians.
Sebnem Arsu contributed reporting from Istanbul.
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