In wake of fire-fighting help, Turkey, İsrael seek to mend fences

Seeking to capitalize on the diplomatic thaw provided by Turkey's fire-fighting assistance, Turkish and Israeli officials met again yesterday in Geneva in a bid to revive bilateral ties, according to Turkish diplomatic sources. The two days of talks between Foreign Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu and Yosef Ciechanover, Israel's representative to a UN committee probing Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, marked a second round of high-level talks since the May 31 attack. Turkish diplomats declined to comment on the content of the Geneva talks, but the two sides were reportedly working on a formula to end the diplomatic tension, taking advantage of the opening provided by Turkey's dispatching two fire-fighting planes to help extinguish a devastating forest fire in Israel. "If someone offers a friendly hand to us to solve problems, we don't leave that hand just hanging there," said a Turkish diplomatic source. "Diplomacy over the fire aid has certainly encouraged diplomatic contact," said another senior Turkish diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Such situations sometimes help break the ice." The diplomat, however, reiterated that Ankara's conditions for restoring diplomatic ties – an apology for the flotilla raid and compensation to its victims – have not changed.