CAIRO ��" Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a meeting of Arab foreign ministers on Tuesday that the recognition of a Palestinian state is an "obligation". "The Palestinian issue is all about human dignity, so we should work hard together to help them obtain their rights. It's our common responsibility. “The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not only threatening the Middle East, but it's also an international issue. This situation should not continue and Palestine should be recognised," he told the gathering at the Arab League (AL) headquarters in Cairo's Tahrir Square. "We will all support this. Before the end of this month, we will see that the Palestinian situation has changed. We should work for the Palestinian flag to be raised in the UN.” The Palestinians are preparing to submit a formal request to become the 194th member of the United Nations when the General Assembly begins its meetings on September 20. "Let's raise the Palestinian flag as this flag is a symbol of peace and justice in the Middle East," Erdogan added to great applause. Erdogan, who is on a three-day visit to Egypt, stressed that Israel has isolated itself and must "pay the price" after refusing to apologise for its raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last year. Turkey has suspended military ties with Israel and expelled top Israeli diplomats, as it pledges to support the Palestinians' statehood bid. It has also vowed to get the Turkish Navy to escort Gaza-bound aid ships in the future. The Turkish PM praised the AL Secretary-General's decision to support and back Turkey in the procedures it is taking against Israel. "We will not restore our ties with them, unless they agree to our conditions. Israel should respect human rights and behave like an ordinary state," he stressed. Turkey has downgraded its ties with Israel over the 2010 killing by Israeli commandos of nine Turkish activists on a Turkish aid flotilla bound for Gaza. Erdogan is visiting Egypt at the start of a North African tour including Libya and Tunisia. His visit aims at boosting Turkey's standing in the region following the ‘Arab Spring' uprisings. He met on Tuesday with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of Egypt's ruling military council, and Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, signing a joint political statement about establishment of a high-level strategic co-operation council. They also signed a series of deals for co-operation in the fields of economy, trade, education, culture, sports, press and public administration. Erdogan also met with Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayyeb and they discussed current developments in the Arab and Muslim world, as well as future co-operation between Turkey and Al-Azhar, the biggest Sunni institution and university in the Muslim world. "For hundreds of years, Turks and Arabs have been connected by brotherhood and friendship. We have the same geography, civilisation, culture and history. Our today and our future are our mutual fate, so we need to listen to each other," he stressed, adding that it's our responsibility to pass on these friendly relations to future generations. "Freedom, democracy and human rights, gained in a legal manner, are our slogan. We should not suppress these legal demands." "Erdogan, Erdogan!" cheered a group of demonstrators as the Turkish Prime Minister left the AL headquarters after making his speech. Displaying a populist touch, Erdogan stopped and shook the hands of the demonstrators, who were calling for change in Syria, whose military is trying to stamp out popular unrest. He told the Arab ministers that international recognition of a Palestinian state was "not an option but an obligation”. Erdogan delivered a speech in Cairo outlining his Middle East vision. US President Barack Obama also chose Cairo to address the Muslim world in 2009.
