Turkish media outlets reported that Peres had apologized to Erdogan during their five-minute phone conversation, but Peres' office denied the report, saying that the purpose of the telephone call was simply to ensure that the "crisis won't deteriorate."

The following is a transcript of the phone conversation between the two leaders, issued by Turkey's state-run Anatolian Agency on Friday:

Peres: Such things happen between friends. I am very sorry for today's incident. Firstly, my respect towards the Turkish republic and you a prime minister has never changed.

Erdogan: Firstly, of course. There is no doubt that such arguments can happen between friends. But nobody can even speak to a tribe leader so loudly and in front of the international community, and not to the leader of the Republic of Turkey.

Peres: I raised my voice. In fact my friends tell me that I have a quite voice. This has nothing to do with my relationship with the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey. I am very sorry for what happened today.

Erdogan: I heard that you are going to hold a press conference.

Peres: Not today, but tomorrow.

Erdogan: If you express these sincere feelings, which I believe you will, in tomorrow's press conference, I assume this problem will be mostly overcome.

Peres: Of course I will publicly express these remarks.

Erdogan: Thank you very much for your call Mr. President.

Peres: I thank you and wish you a nice flight.

Source: AA (Turkey), Haaretz (Israel), January 30, 2009

Abbas is expected to arrive in Turkey on February 7 and hold a series of meetings.

Source: AA (Turkey), January 30, 2009

A member of the al-Qaida terrorism network has been killed and another one has been injured when a clash erupted between al-Qaida members and Turkish police in Istanbul. Police captured two terrorists as they tried to rob a post office branch in Istanbul. Police also seized four weapons.

Source: Milliyet (Turkey), January 30, 2009

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan gave the required response to Israel's president during a heated debate on the Gaza war at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Turkish president said Friday.

"Nobody should expect the Prime Minister of Turkey to swallow a disrespectful act. He gave the necessary response," Turkish President Abdullah Gul told reporters in the northwestern province of Sakarya.

Source: Hurriyet (Turkey), January 30, 2009

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended a panel session with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian also in attendance. Speaking at the gathering, Erdogan proposed an enhanced Caucasus platform to contribute to peace in the region.

Afterwards, Erdogan met with Russian counterparts Sali Berisha and Vladimir Putin. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan also attended the Putin meeting. "Cooperation between Turkey and Russia is the key to solving our problems," Putin said afterwards. He expressed his pleasure at bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia, saying, "Economic and trade relations have been gradually rising despite the global crises." Erdogan said that noticeable progress in bilateral ties has been seen over the last six years.

Source: Star (Turkey), January 30, 2009

Hamas, the party that won the elections in Gaza, should be invited to the table for Mideast peace talks, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday.

He made the remarks at a panel on Gaza at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland alongside UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Israeli President Shimon Peres, and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa. Saying that peace negotiations with only one Palestinian side is fruitless, Erdogan told the panel, "Nothing can be achieved by only taking into consideration Fatah and leaving others out of the process."

For his part, Peres gave a spirited defense of his country's attacks on Gaza, with a raised voice and pointed finger, and asked what Erdogan would do if Turkey were in Israel's shoes. When Erdogan was trying to respond, the moderator cut him off and ended the discussion. "I don't think I will come back to Davos, because you don't let me speak," the premier protested, standing up and walking out of the panel. Later, at a joint press conference with Forum Chairman Claus Schwab, Erdogan explained that he had been upset with both the moderator of the debate and Peres' manner. "My reaction was directed at the moderator," he said.

Source: Turkiye, Sabah/(Turkey), January 30, 2009

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech at an opening ceremony in Istanbul on Friday. He earlier said that in this speech he will give further details on the Davos crisis.

Here are the highlights of Erdogan's speech:

-- The whole world watched live what happened in Gaza for three weeks. You watched what happened in Davos last night.

-- Turkey acts in the region to ensure peace. Nobody will be allowed to show Turkey in a different category.

-- We will not give opportunity to anybody to be disrespectful to the Turkish prime minister.

-- Our fundamental slogan is Peace at home, Peace in the world. This is why we mediated between Israel-Syria and Israel-Palestine; we played an active role in the solution of Lebanon conflict.

-- While we made efforts for peace in good will, we will not allow anybody to present us in a different way.

-- Nobody has the right to wish that an incident in which 1,300 people died and 5,000 people were injured be ignored.

-- We do not blame Israel, the Israeli people and Jews. We are not making a general criticism.

-- Our criticism targets a specific method in a specific case. Our reaction is to bombs, war planes, and the situation of women and innocent children. Our reaction targets the practices of the Israeli administration.

-- We never targeted and will never target a specific religion or nation.

-- We are against anti-Semitism. But it is not correct, the bids to show every criticism against Israeli government as an anti-Semitist act.

-- People in the region are tired of bloodshed and pain. Everybody should stay on the side of peace. Turkey’s side is peace.

-- We are not tribal leaders - we are the prime minister of the Turkish Republic. We have to consider and protect the dignity and reputation of Turkey and this is not only the duty of the government, but the opposition as well.

-- Our foreign policy is based on our thoughts not on (those of) others.

-- We are a political party that is situtated in the center. We will never take our political course on marginal sides; we will always stay central.

Source: Hurriyet (Turkey), January 30, 2009

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stormed out of the World Economic Forum after a war of words with Israeli President Shimon Peres over Gaza.

Responding to the Israeli president, Erdogan said that Peres is the one who knows very well how to kill.

"President Peres you are older than me and your voice is very loud. The reason for you raising your voice is the psychology of guilt," he said during the panel discussion.

"I will not raise my voice that much, you should know that.

"When it comes to killing you know very well how to kill. I know very well how you hit and killed children on the beaches."

Erdogan said that the Israeli president was not in the "spirit of Davos".

Source: Islamonline (Qatar), January 30, 2009