Russia and the international community continued on Tuesday to criticize Israel's attack on a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid convoy in neutral waters, which left at least 9 dead on Monday.
"UNMOTIVATED DEATHS"
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called the deaths unmotivated and irreversible.
"It is necessary to perform an extremely thorough investigation," Medvedev said. "However, the deaths are irreversible and absolutely unmotivated."
Medvedev, who is currently attending the Russia-EU summit in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, said the Russian and EU foreign ministers had made a joint statement on the issue.
"It [the statement] fully correlates with what has been done in the framework of the Security Council, with a resolution that was adopted today, condemning what happened," the Russian president said.
The statement, signed by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, demands an investigation into the attack and calls on Israel to immediately allow the free movement of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and people to and from the Palestinian enclave.
"Russia and the European Union demand a full and unbiased investigation of the events and circumstances," the statement reads.
BLACK SPOT IN HISTORY
Turkey, whose ship was attacked in the siege, said on Tuesday Israel's attack would remain "a black spot" in the history of mankind and must entail harsh consequences.
"Killing peaceful citizens is a disgrace... Israel must face punishment from the international community," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his address to parliament.
He added that Turkey will not let this "blatant violation of international law" go unpunished.
"Empty condemnation statements are not enough ... There must be results," Erdogan said.
Turkey has already recalled its ambassador from Israel over the attack and sent three evacuation planes to Israel to bring back 20 of its injured citizens.
MOSCOW JOINS WORLDWIDE PROTESTS
Dozens of activists and journalists gathered on Tuesday outside the Israeli embassy in Moscow, some holding Turkish, Russian and Palestinian flags. The rally was quickly brought to an end by the Moscow police, as the protestors did not have permission from the Moscow authorities.
Protests against the siege took place outside Israeli embassies in many other world capitals on Monday and Tuesday.
Turkey launched a second day of demonstrations on Tuesday, with crowds gathering outside the Israeli embassy in Ankara. On Monday, at least 10,000 angry citizens marched along the streets of Istanbul.
Police in Athens had to use tear gas to disperse a crowd of protestors who chanted "Hands off Gaza" and "Free Palestine" outside the Israeli embassy in the Greek capital. Another 2,000 people gathered in the northern city of Thessaloniki.
Tear gas was also used in Paris to disperse thousands of activists who threw stones at police and tried to break through a police cordon surrounding the Israeli embassy.
Over 5,000 Swedes marched in a peaceful rally in downtown Stockholm waving "Put Israel on Trial" banners.
Protesters also took to the streets in Madrid, London, Copenhagen, Rome, The Hague, Geneva and many other European cities and capitals.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered the opening of the Rafah crossing on the border with Gaza following demands from protestors in Cairo.
In Malaysia, which has no ties with Israel, a Palestinian man slashed himself with a knife during a rally outside the U.S. embassy involving 300 people. Another group of several hundred gathered outside the country's UN office waving banners that read "Unite for Palestine" and "Justice for Gaza."
Thousands of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon marched in the country's refugee camps. Protestors also gathered in the capital, Beirut.
In the West Bank, Palestinians took to the streets in Nablus, Ramallah and Bethlehem, demanding an urgent response to the Israeli attack. In Gaza, spontaneous rallies were held along the coastline, where the ships were expected to arrive.
ROSTOV-ON-DON, June 1 (RIA Novosti)
