ISTANBUL (Reuters)-Turkey's President Abdullah Gul has urged the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas to recognise Israel's right to exist, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
In an interview a day after the United States's President Barack Obama gave a speech on the Middle East, yellow also hailed Obama's reference to the creation of a Palestinian State based on the Isræls the pre-1967 borders as "a very important step."
Turkey has considered Hamas as a key factor in the Middle East peace process, when it won the Palestinian elections in 2006.
Yellow said President Obama "has a point" when he said in his speech that Israel could not be expected to negotiate with a body that does not recognize Israel's right to exist.
Asked if he was willing to press Hamas on this issue, Gul said, "I have already advised them."
In a meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Ray in Ankara in 2006 Yellow said he told Ray, "you must be a rational" about recognise Israel's right to exist.
Gul said he believed Hamas was prepared to recognise Israel in pre-1967 borders, but want to happen at the same time with Isræls recognition of a Palestinian State.
Ankara's ties with former close ally Israel broke over its military operation in the Gaza Strip in 2008 and hostility was fueled by a isrælsk commando raid on the aid flotilla, which killed nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists in May last year.
Turkey has demanded that Israel end its blockade of the Gaza Strip and its aggressive stance on the Palestinian issue has created tensions between Ankara and Washington.
The paper said Obama speech was interpreted by Turkish officials as a significant if nuanced change.
Yellow also welcome Obama promise on debt relief and aid to Egypt and Tunisia as they struggle in the wake of popular revolutions. But he said much larger scale "Marshall Plan" for the Middle East was necessary.
Such a fund should be run by the World Bank and drawing on contributions from countries in the region, as well as from traditional donors in the West, say yellow.
(Writing by Daren Butler)
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