Davutoglu: "UN probe of flotilla raid will confirm the supremacy of international law"

A UN investigation commission set to probe Israel's deadly May 31 raid of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla will confirm the supremacy of international law, said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday. Davutoglu's remarks came on the heels of Israel agreeing to cooperate with the international probe, a move in stark contrast to its earlier position on the matter. Referring to a UN Security Council presidential statement on the new commission, Davutoglu said it voiced some points in line with Turkey's demands and a consensus reached among the council members. Calling Israel's raid a grave violation of international law, Davutoglu said the statement highlighted the importance of establishing an impartial and objective international commission to probe the incident. "This (raid) issue has meaning far beyond something between Turkey and Israel," he said. "What's at stake is a gross violation of international law. Such a violation should be probed by the international community." He added, "The killings of 8 Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American in international waters in an armed attack is an incident whose perpetrators should definitely be called to account by the international community." This is the first time that Israel has accepted a UN investigation into an incident involving its soldiers. The international probe is among Turkey's demands from Israel to avoid further deterioration in bilateral ties, along with an official apology from the Israeli government and Israel paying compensations to the families of the raid victims. Retired senior diplomat Ozden Sanberk is set to represent Turkey on the commission.