UN's Ban says Turkish PM's Zionism comment "hurtful"

       
Turkey's prime minister drew sharp criticism for comments equating Zionism to a crime against humanity at a U.N. meeting promoting dialogue between faiths, and a U.S. official said Secretary of State John Kerry will take him to task Friday for the "particularly offensive" remark.                  

Addressing the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations conference in Vienna this week, Recep Tayyip Erdogan complained of prejudices against Muslims. He said Islamophobia should be considered a crime against humanity "just like Zionism, like anti-Semitism and like fascism."          

In this context, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the remark late, calling it a "dark and mendacious statement, the likes of which we thought had passed from the world."           

As for the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, he said on Friday that the Turkish Prime Minister’s description of Zionism as a crime against humanity was "hurtful and divisive"; adding to criticism of comments that risk deepening Turkey's rift with Israel.                 

Ban's spokesman said the secretary-general had heard Erdogan's speech at a U.N. meeting in Vienna on Wednesday through an interpreter. 
                                         
"The secretary-general believes is it is unfortunate that such hurtful and divisive comments were uttered at a meeting being held under the theme of responsible leadership," the spokesman said in a statement.                        

Ties between Israel and mostly Muslim Turkey have been frosty since 2010, when nine Turks were killed by Israeli commandos who stormed their ship carrying aid to Palestinians in Gaza, under a naval blockade.                                 

For his part, the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the United States found the Turkish PM’s as “objectionable".               

"We not only disagree with it, we found it objectionable," Kerry told a news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, saying he raised the issue directly with Davutoglu and would do so with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.            


REUTERS