Babacan: "A revived peace process is needed to solve the palestinian issue"

In Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday attended the opening ceremony of an international donors' conference on rebuilding the Gaza Strip after Israel's offensive. At the gathering, Babacan said that Turkey would donate $50 million in additional assistance to Gaza. Stating that Turkey has so far collected $43 million assistance for Gaza through both state and private institutions, he added, "We witnessed a great humanitarian tragedy in Gaza." He said that an active peace process based on two states living side by side which recognize each other under UN Security Council resolutions is again needed to solve the Palestinian issue. On the sidelines of his visit, Babacan also held bilateral talks with his counterparts from countries such as Germany, Algeria, Britain, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, and Syria.