Assuming CICA helm, Turkey renews condemnation of Israeli attack

On the second day of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Turkey yesterday took the group's rotating chairmanship. After the meeting, President Abdullah Gul made a statement condemning last week's deadly Israeli raid on a Turkish aid flotilla to Gaza. Gul also hosted a luncheon at Istanbul's Ciragan Palace in honor of the heads of states who attended the summit. Prior to the meeting, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the nuclear swap deal recently brokered for Tehran by Turkey and Brazil an unprecedented opportunity for the US and its allies. In related news, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated that he understood the Turkish public's revulsion at Israel's attack on the aid flotilla, which left nine Turks dead, and added, "Unfortunately this attack took place in international waters and it constitutes a special concern. Thus, the issue must be handled carefully."