U.S. Jewish Organizations Decorate Ecevit With Two Special Awards

WASHINGTON D.C., Jan 17 (A.A) - Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said on Thursday that he hoped the dispute between Israel and Palestine would be resolved.
B'nai Brith, a Jewish organization in the United States, and American Jewish Committee decorated Ecevit with two special awards.
At the award ceremony held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, B'nai Brith Chairman Richard Heideman gave Ecevit a horn as a gift.
Heideman said that this horn had been used to welcome sunrise on top of mountains in ancient times and it symbolized people's coming together to reach freedom and democracy.
Congratulating Ecevit for his efforts to settlement of stability and democracy in the region, Heideman said that Turkey and Israel could together defeat terrorism in the region.
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that the award was a great honor for himself and Turkey, adding, ''Turks and Jews have always opposed to terrorism and oppression throughout the history. We can altogether overcome the negative factors in your region.''
Ecevit said that everbody should work together to prevent re-occurrence of the tragedy in the United States on September 11.
Meanwhile, American Jewish Committee Chairman Harold Tanner gave Ecevit a glass plaquette bearing the sentence: ''the real aim of the government is freedom''.
Tanner thanked Turkey for its support to the Jewish people and to the United States' fight against terrorism.
Noting that he had been deeply impressed when he had read Ataturk's bibliography 45 years ago, Tanner said that the secularism model formed by Ataturk was very important for Israel.
Tanner said that the award given to Ecevit was an expression of friendship between Turkey and the United States and Israel.
Ecevit said that Turkish and Jewish nations had cooperated against terrorism and injustices in the past, adding that this cooperation would continue in order to spread democracy in the region.
Ecevit added that he hoped the dispute between Israel and Palestine would be solved as soon as possible.
Later, Prime Minister Ecevit met with leaders of Jewish organizations.