PM's chief advisor: "Gaza faces a humanitarian disaster"

Ahmet Davutoglu, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's chief foreign policy adviser, yesterday went to Damascus to hold talks at the request of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Among those at the meeting were Syrian President Bashar Assad and EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana. Afterwards, Davutoglu said that Turkey's and Syria's stances on Israel's attacks in the Gaza Strip were discussed at the gathering. Stating that Turkey remains in contact with all parties and is evaluating all proposals, he added, "Turkey's stance on the Gaza problem is quite clear. What has been happening in Gaza is nothing less than a humanitarian disaster. Turkey's most important push is to prevent more bloodshed. Turkey is trying to put an immediate end to the bloodshed in Gaza by keeping channels with all parties open. Since the beginning of the crisis, Turkish officials have held talks with their counterparts in the region to push for an immediate cease-fire and to forge a consensus among Palestinian groups."