ANKARA--Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he wants to visit the Palestinian enclave in Gaza after any future visit to Egypt. Erdogan is a hero in the Arab world for denouncing Israel's offensive in Gaza in late 2008, and more recently Turkey has helped Egypt bring together Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas for, as yet inconclusive, talks on forming a unity government. He has called on Israel to end what he says is an illegal blockade of 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza, and is demanding an apology and compensation after Israeli marines killed nine Turks when they intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla a year ago. "The definite time of our visit to Egypt has not been set yet, but we have a desire to visit Gaza after the Egypt visit," he told a media conference before leaving for northern Cyprus. Erdogan cancelled a visit to Egypt that was expected to take place later this week, but another date was being worked on and the Turkish prime minister said he would go to Gaza if conditions were right. Since ousting President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's new leaders have relaxed access to Gaza through the Rafah border gate. Erdogan's talk of going to Gaza comes at a sensitive time, with Turkish and Israeli diplomats trying to find the basis for an agreement that will help mend relations that have been on the rocks since the flotilla incident. Israel says that its marines acted in self defense after an initial boarding party was attacked by activists with clubs and knives. Israel also justifies the blockade saying it is aimed at stopping arms reaching Hamas, an Islamist militant party that controls Gaza.
