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News Analysis: Attack on Turkish ship off Libyan waters result of faulty foreign policy

Xinhua, May 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

The attack on Turkish freighter that killed one crew member off the Libyan coast signals troubles for Turkey's Libyan policy that was criticized for favoring one side, Turkish analysts believed.

"This is the result of ill-advised foreign policy pursued by the government in Libya and other places," Idris Gursoy, Ankara-based analysts, told Xinhua.

"Turkey should return to neutral and impartial stand on domestic affairs of other countries in order to not risk own citizens' lives," he added.

The incident happened on Sunday when forces of Libya's internationally recognized government staged land and air attacks on the Cook Islands-chartered cargo ship that was operated by Turks.

The third officer on the ship identified as Ilker Buyukdere, was killed while one Turkish and two Georgians were wounded. The ship docked to Turkish port Fethiye on Tuesday night and local prosecutors launched an investigation into the incident.

The Turkish government condemned the attack and lodged a protest note with Libyan embassy in Ankara, demanding an explanation why the ship, which was sailing in international waters, came under attack.

The Libyan government claimed however that the ship was hit about 10 miles from the coast after it was told not to approach the city of Derna, which is under the control of the Islamic State (IS) militants.

However, Turkish foreign ministry denied that statement and claimed that the ship was carrying plasterboard from Spain to Tobruk and was 13 miles away from the nearby port of Tobruk and was then attacked from the air as it tried to leave the area.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also said a diplomatic note condemning the incident was sent to the Libyan government.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey is closely following the events in Libya and vowed to find perpetrators of the attack and bring them to the justice.

Erdogan lamented that there is no single power authority in Libya.

"I think Turkish citizens are paying the price of mistakes done by the government," Mesut Cevikalp, Turkish expert on foreign policy, told Xinhua.

Libya's internationally recognized government in February announced that it would end all contracts with Turkish companies and prevent them from operating in Libya, accusing Turkey of supporting a rival administration.

The decision to bar Turkish firms from operating in the country has taken a toll on Turkish companies, which have historically had a strong presence in Libya, enjoying billion-dollar projects since the 1970s.

Many Turks left Libya after the decision and ensuing internal conflicts but it is believed there are still a few Turks living in conflict-ridden country.

Turkey is seen as favoring Libya's self-declared Prime Minister Omar al-Hasi's administration -- an extension of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in the region.

President Erdogan's special envoy to Libya, Emrullah Isler, met with the Hasi administration in October last year, marking first publicly known diplomatic meeting for Hasi's with a foreign representative.

The Turkish government rejects accusations of favoring one side, claiming that its approach is no different than that of the United Nations which only recognizes the Abdullah al-Thani government.

The opposition in Turkey slammed the government for allowing a foreign country to dare staging an attack on Turkish citizens abroad.

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said in a public rally in Nevsehir on Tuesday that the Turkish government is trying to make the incident go away with mere symbolic protest notes and so called diplomatic initiatives.

Calling the incident as a "weakness" on the part of Turkey, the MHP leader accused the government of having completely different agenda.

The main opposition Republican Peoples' Party lawmaker and former Ambassador Faruk Logoglu also said the ruling party has been supporting one side in Libya and the Turkish government is responsible for the current unstable situation in Libya.

The government helped the deepening of the division in Libya and put the lives of Turks at jeopardy, he lamented. Enditem