Aid flotilla inquiry commission set to visit Turkey

Members of an international fact-finding commission established by the UN to investigate Israel's May 31 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, which left eight Turks and one American of Turkish descent dead, are set to visit Turkey later this month. The commission members are expected to visit Ankara, Istanbul and Iskenderun, where the flotilla set sail for Gaza. They are also expected to examine three boats which were part of the six-ship flotilla, including lead ship the Mavi Marmara. After the deadly raid Israel seized all six, and recently allowed them to be returned to Turkey. An examination of the ships by Turkish experts found that Israel tried to cover up the physical evidence of the raid. The commission is also scheduled to be received by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. After the raid dealt a serious blow to bilateral ties, Turkey demanded that Israel meet three conditions to put them back on track: agreeing to an international investigation into the incident, extending an official apology, and paying compensations to the families of the raid victims. After initially rejecting the international probe, Israel later agreed to cooperate with the UN commission, but has yet to fulfill the other conditions.