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Turkey stirs pot with Cairo talks

TURKEY'S Prime Minister was due to arrive in Cairo overnight amid speculation that he will attempt to stoke anti-Israeli sentiment following last week's assault on the Israeli embassy in the Egyptian capital.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is embroiled in a separate diplomatic war with Israel over its refusal to apologise for killing Turks on a Gaza-bound ship 15 months ago, is seeking to strengthen Turkey's alliance with Egypt to cement and extend its influence in the region. In the first such visit in 15 years, Mr Erdogan is expected to offer the post-Mubarak government aid and trade deals.

In the wake of the storming of the Israeli embassy on Friday, Egyptian security police raided the Cairo offices of the Al Jazeera news channel and detained a member of its technical staff.

The move against Al Jazeera on Sunday was denounced by a variety of Egyptian political organisations and fed a growing sense of crisis that has gripped the capital since Friday.

''The government is using the attacks on the Israeli embassy on Friday night to justify its use of repressive measures,'' said Amer al Wakil, a leader of the Egyptian Revolutionary Alliance, one of the political coalitions that emerged from the popular movement that led to the ouster of long-time Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Israel, rattled by diplomatic crises on three fronts, fears it is becoming increasingly isolated in the region. The sense of embattlement is heightened by the Palestinians' bid to have their state recognised at the United Nations in the coming weeks, a move supported by a majority of states.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Israel must face up to its growing isolation. ''There is a picture forming around us that includes what happened with Turkey, what is happening with Egypt, and what is happening with the Palestinians,'' he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack was a challenge to 32 years of peace between Israel and Egypt, and a ''very near disaster'' was averted. Israel flew 86 diplomats and family from Cairo after protesters used sledgehammers to demolish a security wall, allowing a small group to breach the building. Six embassy staff were under siege for some hours until commandos freed them.

The Egyptian authorities said they had raised security around the embassy. At least 19 people were arrested over the clashes, in which three people died and more than 1000 were injured.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/turkey-stirs-pot-with-cairo-talks-20110912-1k5wu.html#ixzz1XkZNoFcG