Brussels, 09/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - In order to put an end to the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, the international community should envisage taking “sanctions” against Israel if this can ease the suffering of the people of Gaza, said Egemen Bagis, the Turkish minister for European affairs, addressing a small group of journalists in Brussels on 9 June. Bagis is personally in favour of sending a NATO fleet to carry humanitarian aid to Gaza with or without the consent of Israel. It is not to be ruled out that Turkey will put such a proposal to NATO. “It is one of the options”, Bagis said. “If the EU is willing to do this, it's fine”, was the Turkish minister's response to the Spanish Presidency's announcement that it wished to discuss a possible European initiative on Monday at the Foreign Affairs Council (EUROPE 10155). Bagis also criticised Catherine Ashton's first reaction on 31 May, immediately after the Israeli raid, when the high representative called on Israelis to “start an inquiry” into the circumstances of the tragedy. This declaration was a “joke”, Bagis said, although he added that the written statement that followed on 3 June, in which Ashton calls for an “immediate, full and impartial inquiry” on behalf of the EU27 and for an end to the blockade on the Gaza Strip was “better”. (H.B./transl.jl)