Turkey, Israel wrangle over Gaza flotilla

The United Nations on Monday again delayed the release of a report on Israel's raid on a Turkish-led aid flotilla to Gaza because the two sides had not agreed on the document, a UN spokesman said. The report into the May 31, 2010 raid in which nine Turkish activists were killed was to have been handed over to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday. But UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Turkey and Israel "have not come to a consensus" on the report. He did not give a new date for the work to be handed over but said the United Nations was still aiming for late August. Haq added that the inquiry members were still working on a final version. "We are hopeful that these efforts will bear fruit." Turkey has demanded an apology for the raid. Israel has categorically refused to make such a gesture. The two sides have blamed each other for the new postponement. "The demand to postpone came from Israel, like the previous demands," Selcuk Unal, Turkish foreign ministry spokesman told Turkey's Anatolia news agency. In Jerusalem, an Israeli official told AFP that "the Turkish side asked for the delay." Diplomatic ties between Israel and Turkey have been in crisis since Israeli commandos raided the flotilla trying to reach Gaza in defiance of an Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory. Turkey says relations can only be repaired if Israel apologizes, compensates the families of the dead and injured and lifts its Gaza blockade. The Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said however that "very discreet negotiations" between Turkey and Israel to restore bilateral ties were continuing.