Erdogan: Israel is a nuclear threat in the Mideast

Turkish prime minster tells 'Time' NATO radar in Turkey is not directly in response to nuclear threat from Iran.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Erdogan wins 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Erdogan wins 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that while the West may presume that Israel and its surrounding nations would be under threat from a nuclear-armed Iran, it is Israel that possesses nuclear weapons.
In a Time magazine article published on Tuesday, Erdogan dismissed claims that the agreement to install NATO radar in Turkey was a response to the nuclear threat posed by Iran.
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He said that the "radar system is executed under the framework of NATO obligations," and that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not concerned with the issue.
Erdogan continued to insist that UN sanctions on Israel would help solve the Israel-Palestinian conflict, saying "had these sanctions been imposed, the Palestine-Israel conflict would have been resolved a long time ago."
The Turkish prime minister also reiterated his demands for restoring ties between Ankara and Jerusalem, which include an apology and compensation to the families of the activists who lost their lives in the IDF raid of the Turkish ship the Mavi Marmara and an end to the blockade on Gaza.