Infection during pregnancy and stress in puberty play key role in development of schizophrenia

Mar. 1, 2013 ? The interplay between an infection during pregnancy and stress in puberty plays a key role in the development of schizophrenia, as behaviourists from ETH Zurich demonstrate in a mouse model. However, there is no need to panic.

Around one per cent of the population suffers from schizophrenia, a serious mental disorder that usually does not develop until adulthood and is incurable. Psychiatrists and neuroscientsist have long suspected that adverse enviromental factors may play an important role in the development of schizophrenia. Prenatal infections such as toxoplasmosis or influenza, psychological, stress or family history have all come into question as risk factors. Nevertheless, until now researchers were unable to identify the interplay of the individual factors linked to this serious mental disease.

However, a research group headed by Urs Meyer, a senior scientist at the Laboratory of Physiology & Behaviour at ETH Zurich, has now made a breakthrough: for the first time, they were able to find clear evidence that the combination of two environmental factors contributes significantly to the development of schizophrenia-relevant brain changes and at which stages in a person's life they need to come into play for the disorder to break out. The researchers developed a special mouse model, with which they were able to simulate the processes in humans virtually in fast forward. The study has just been published in the journal Science.

Interplay between infection and stress

The first negative environmental influence that favours schizophrenia is a viral infection of the mother during the first half of the pregnancy. If a child with such a prenatal infectious history is also exposed to major stress during puberty, the probability that he or she will suffer from schizophrenia later increases markedly. Hence, the mental disorder needs the combination of these two negative environmental influences to develop. "Only one of the factors -- namely an infection or stress -- is not enough to develop schizophrenia," underscores Meyer.

The infection during pregnancy lays the foundation for stress to "take hold" in puberty. After all, the mother's infection activates certain immune cells of the central nervous system in the brain of the fetus: microglial cells, which produce cytotoxins that alter the brain development of the unborn child.

Mouse model provides important clue

Once the mother's infection subsides, the microglial cells lie dormant but have developed a "memory." If the adolescent suffers severe, chronic stress during puberty, such as sexual abuse or physical violence, the microglial cells awake and induce changes in certain brain regions through this adverse postnatal stimulus. Ultimately, these neuroimmunological changes do not have a devastating impact until adulthood. The brain seems to react particularly sensitively to negative influences in puberty as this is the period during which it matures. "Evidently, something goes wrong with the 'hardware' that can no longer be healed," says Sandra Giovanoli, who, as a doctoral student under Urs Meyer, did the lion's share of the work on this study.

The researchers achieved their ground-breaking results based on sophisticated mouse models, using a special substance to trigger an infection in pregnant mouse mothers to provoke an immune response. Thirty to forty days after birth -- the age at which the animals become sexually mature, which is the equivalent of puberty -- the young animals were exposed to five different stressors which the mice were not expecting. This stress is the equivalent of chronic psychological stress in humans.

Diminished filter function

Afterwards, the researchers tested the animals' behaviour directly after puberty and in adulthood,. As a control, the scientists also studied mice with either an infection or stress, as well as animals that were not exposed to either of the two risk factors.

When the researchers examined the behaviour of the animals directly after puberty, they were not able to detect any abnormalities. In adulthood, however, the mice that had both the infection and stress behaved abnormally. The behaviour patterns observed in the animals are comparable to those of schizophrenic humans. For instance, the rodents were less receptive to auditory stimuli, which went hand in hand with a diminished filter function in the brain. The mice also responded far more strongly to psychoactive substances such as amphetamine.

Environmental influences more significant again

"Our result is extremely relevant for human epidemiology," says Meyer. Even more importance will be attached to environmental influences again in the consideration of human disorders -- especially in neuropsychology. "It isn't all genetics after all," he says.

Although certain symptoms of schizophrenia can be treated with medication, the disease is not curable. However, the study provides hope that we will at least be able to take preventative action against the disorder in high-risk people. The study is a key foundation upon which other branches of research can build.

The ETH Zurich researchers also stress that the results of their work are no reason for pregnant women to panic. Many expecting mothers get infections such as herpes, a cold or the flu. And every child goes through stress during puberty, whether it be through bullying at school or quarrelling at home. "A lot has to come together in the 'right' time window for the probability of developing schizophrenia to be high," says Giovanoli. Ultimately, other factors are also involved in the progress of the disease. Genetics, for instance, which was not taken into consideration in the study, can also play a role. But unlike genes, certain environmental influences can be changed, adds the doctoral student; how one responds to and copes with stress is learnable.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by ETH Z?rich.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. S. Giovanoli, H. Engler, A. Engler, J. Richetto, M. Voget, R. Willi, C. Winter, M. A. Riva, P. B. Mortensen, M. Schedlowski, U. Meyer. Stress in Puberty Unmasks Latent Neuropathological Consequences of Prenatal Immune Activation in Mice. Science, 2013; 339 (6123): 1095 DOI: 10.1126/science.1228261

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/mental_health/~3/3nhkDWEOy8s/130301122512.htm

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State Dept: No major objections to Canada pipeline

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The State Department on Friday raised no major objections to the Keystone XL oil pipeline and said other options to get the oil from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries are worse for climate change.

The latest environmental review stops short of recommending approval of the project, but the review gives the Obama administration political cover if it chooses to endorse the pipeline in spite of opposition from many Democrats and environmental groups. State Department approval of the 1,700-mile pipeline is needed because it crosses a U.S. border.

The lengthy report says Canadian tar sands are likely to be developed, regardless of whether the U.S. approves Keystone XL, which would carry oil from western Canada to refineries in Texas. The pipeline would also travel through Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

The report acknowledges that development of tar sands in Alberta would create greenhouse gases but makes clear that other methods of transporting the oil ? including rail, trucks and barges ? also pose a risk to the environment.

The State Department analysis for the first time evaluated two options using rail: shipping the oil on trains to existing pipelines or to oil tankers. The report shows that those other methods would release more greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming than the pipeline. The Keystone XL pipeline, according to the report, would release annually the same amount of global warming pollution as 626,000 passenger cars.

A scenario that would move the oil on trains to mostly existing pipelines would release 8 percent more greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide than Keystone XL. That scenario would not require State Department approval because any new pipelines would not cross the U.S border.

Another alternative that relies mostly on rail to move the oil to the Canadian west coast, where it would be loaded onto oil tankers to the U.S. Gulf Coast, would result in 17 percent more greenhouse gas emissions, the report said.

In both alternatives, the oil would be shipped in rail cars as bitumen, a thick, tar-like substance, rather than as a liquid.

The State Department was required to conduct a new environmental analysis after the pipeline's operator, Calgary-based TransCanada, changed the project's route though Nebraska. The Obama administration blocked the project last year because of concerns that the original route would have jeopardized environmentally sensitive land in the Sand Hills region.

The administration later approved a southern section of the pipeline, from Cushing, Okla., to the Texas coast, as part of what President Barack Obama has called an "all of the above" energy policy that embraces a wide range of sources, from oil and gas to renewables such as wind and solar.

The pipeline plan has become a flashpoint in the U.S. debate over climate change. Republicans and business and labor groups have urged the Obama administration to approve the pipeline as a source of much-needed jobs and a step toward North American energy independence.

Environmental groups have been pressuring the president to reject the pipeline, saying it would carry "dirty oil" that contributes to global warming. They also worry about a spill.

Industry groups and Republicans hailed the report, saying the Obama administration was moving closer to approving Keystone XL, which has been under consideration since 2008.

"No matter how many times KXL is reviewed, the result is the same: no significant environmental impact," said Marty Durbin, executive vice president of the American Petroleum Institute, the largest lobbying group for the oil and gas industry.

The report "puts this important, job-creating project one step closer to reality," Durbin said.

Environmentalists blasted the report.

"This analysis fails in its review of climate impacts, threats to endangered wildlife like whooping cranes and woodland caribou, and the concerns of tribal communities," said Jim Lyon, vice president of the National Wildlife Federation.

If Keystone XL would not speed tar sands development, "why are oil companies pouring millions into lobbying and political contributions to build it?" Lyon asked. "By rejecting the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, President Obama can keep billions of tons of climate-disrupting carbon pollution locked safely in the ground."

The draft report begins a 45-day comment period, after which the State Department will issue a final environmental report before Secretary of State John Kerry makes a recommendation about whether the pipeline is in the national interest.

Kerry has promised a "fair and transparent" review of the plan and said he hopes to decide on the project in the "near term." Most observers do not expect a decision until summer at the earliest.

Canadian Natural Resource Minister Joe Oliver said Friday that Canada will respect the U.S. review process and noted the importance of the pipeline to the Canadian economy. "Canada's continued prosperity will be determined by our ability to diversify markets for our energy products," Oliver said.

Obama's initial rejection of the pipeline last year went over badly in Canada, which relies on the United States for 97 percent of its energy exports.

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Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.

___

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/state-dept-no-major-objections-canada-pipeline-212911462--politics.html

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Finn to become new chief U.N. nuclear inspector: diplomats

VIENNA (Reuters) - A senior Finnish nuclear official is to become new chief United Nations nuclear inspector in charge of monitoring Iran's disputed atomic activities and other sensitive issues, diplomats said on Friday.

Tero Varjoranta, now head of Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), is to succeed Herman Nackaerts as deputy director general for safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), they said.

One Western envoy said he was an "excellent" choice.

Varjoranta in 2010-11 worked at the Vienna-based IAEA as director of a unit dealing with nuclear fuel and waste technology after a three-decade career at STUK.

Nackaerts, a Belgian national, is due to retire later this year after three years in charge of the IAEA's department handling nuclear proliferation inspections globally, including high-profile cases such as Iran and Syria.

Under Nackaerts, the safeguards department prepared a landmark report to IAEA member states in late 2011 that gave a wealth of intelligence information pointing to research and other work in Iran relevant for nuclear weapons development.

Nackaerts and a team of senior officials have since then traveled to Tehran several times to press Iran to address questions raised by the IAEA report, so far without success.

Western diplomats blame Iranian stonewalling.

The IAEA, whose mission is to prevent the spread of atomic arms in the world, regularly inspects Iranian nuclear sites, which produce material that Western powers and Israel suspect could be used to build bombs. Iran denies any such aim.

But the U.N. agency says its inspectors need wider access to sites, officials and documents as part of a long-stalled investigation into suspected atom bomb research by Iran. Iran says its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.

Varjoranta's appointment is expected to be announced by the IAEA at a meeting next week of the U.N. agency's 35-nation governing board, the diplomats said. Another Finn, Olli Heinonen, held the post before Nackaerts.

It was not immediately clear when Varjoranta would start his new job. One diplomat said he believed it would be after the summer.

The March 4-8 board meeting is also expected to approve a second four-year term for IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano, who has no rivals for the post, unlike for his close election victory in 2009.

(Reporting by Fredrik Dahl; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/finn-become-chief-u-n-nuclear-inspector-diplomats-154744549.html

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Romney blames Obama for sequester on Fox

President Barack Obama has himself to blame for the sequester stalemate, Mitt Romney told Fox News in his first major interview since losing the 2012 presidential race.

Obama, said Romney, has been traveling around the country "berating Republicans and blaming and pointing" over the sequester. The former Massachusetts governor, who along with wife Ann Romney was interviewed by Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, said Obama's tactic "causes Republicans to retrench and they put up a wall and fight back?it's a very natural, human emotion."

It doesn't appear as if Congress will pass a budget before the March 1 midnight deadline. The White House claims the across-the-board spending cuts set to go into effect will be devastating, and that its negative impact is already rippling through the country.

Romney also criticized the government for deciding this week to release select non-criminal immigration detainees for budget reasons ahead of sequester cuts, and casted the decision as a political ploy.

"I think if there are people who are incarcerated, [Obama] should make sure that we're able to keep them in jail. Look, again, it's politics. It's, OK, how do we do something that will get a headline that will make it look like those terrible Republicans aren't willing to come together?? Romney said.

Romney has avoided the press since his loss to Obama. In his interview with Fox, he likened the election and its aftermath to an amusement park ride.

"We were on a roller coaster, exciting and thrilling, ups and downs. But the ride ends," Romney said. "And then you get off. And it's not like, oh, can't we be on a roller coaster the rest of our life? It's like, no, the ride's over."

Ann Romney said they were suddenly "nobody." She noted: "In our church, we're used to serving and you know, you can be in a very high position, but you recognize you're serving. And now all of a sudden, you're released and you're nobody. And we're used to that. It's like we came and stepped forward to serve. And you know, the other part of it was an amazing thing, and it was really quite a lot of energy and a lot of passion and a lot of?a lot of people around us and all of a sudden, it was nothing."

The complete interview is set to air March 3 on Fox News Sunday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/romney-fox-obama-blame-sequester-stalemate-election-roller-161950350--election.html

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Owner: Dog may have been poisoned at Westminster

NEW YORK (AP) ? A dog owner says she thinks there's a chance her prized pet was deliberately poisoned while competing at the Westminster Kennel Club show, causing it to die several days later.

"It is in the realm of possibility," Lynette Blue told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Blue co-owns a 3-year-old Samoyed named Cruz, and said he probably swallowed poison at Westminster earlier this month. Four days after competing, the dog died, on Feb. 16, while at a show in Colorado.

Blue has worked since the 1970s with Samoyeds, a sturdy, medium-sized breed. She said that while there was no evidence foul play was involved, certain symptoms were consistent with dogs who ingest rat or mouse poison. That was the reason she said she decided against a necropsy ? an autopsy for animals.

"The timeline adds up. There's no other scenario we can come up with other than poison," she said.

Asked if she thought it was intentional, she said: "I don't think we'll ever know."

The dog's death was first reported by The New York Times.

Cruz's handler, Robert Chaffin, told the Times he thought extreme animal rights activists may have been to blame. Members of some animal groups have criticized shows featuring purebred dogs in the past.

In 2010, two members of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals stood in the middle of the Westminster best-in-show ring at Madison Square Garden and held protest signs.

But PETA co-founder and president Ingrid Newkirk said "it makes no sense whatsoever" that an animal rights activist would harm an animal.

"It's a fantasy, it's a fallacy," she told the AP by phone Thursday night. "How dare you point a finger and cast aspersions when you haven't a clue."

The veterinarian who treated Cruz, Molly Comiskey, told the Times: "Dogs are dogs. It's not anyone's fault. They eat stuff; they get into things; they make bad decisions."

The 137th Westminster drew 2,721 purebred entries. Cruz, one of 33 Samoyeds list in the show, did not win any ribbons in the best of breed judging.

"We have never, to our knowledge, had an incident at our show where a dog has become ill or was harmed as a result of being poisoned," the kennel club said in a statement.

"After conversation with the co-owner of the dog in question, it was established that the dog left Georgia on Monday and flew to New York, he was exhibited at our show on Tuesday, and flew to Denver on Wednesday morning where he subsequently became ill on Saturday. Unfortunately, no autopsy was performed, so there are a lot of unanswered questions," the statement said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/owner-dog-may-poisoned-westminster-224235178--spt.html

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Bells, applause as Pope Benedict XVI flies out of Vatican

In a dramatic exit from the Vatican, Pope Benedict flew off to the papal retreat Castel Gandolfo. Tourists gathered in St. Peter's Square to watch the momentous occasion. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

To a chorus of bells and a ripple of applause from his closest advisers, Pope Benedict XVI departed the Vatican for the last time as pontiff Thursday.

He emerged from the Apostolic Palace and was saluted by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, and other senior staff members in the St. Damaso Courtyard before being driven to his helicopter for the journey to his lavish temporary residence.

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A crowd of well-wishers was waiting to greet him from the piazza when he arrived by helicopter at his temporary residence at Castel Gandolfo, which is about 20 miles south-east of Rome.

They chanted his name in Italian and cheered wildly as he appeared from the balcony of the building. Some were moved to tears.

"Thank you for your friendship," he said. "I am just a pilgrim."

To coincide with his 5 p.m. local time (11 a.m ET) departure, a final message was posted to the pontiff's official Twitter account.

"Thank you for your love and support," it said. "May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives."

Although the pope has a helicopter pilot?s licence, the chopper was flown by an Italian air force pilot, as is customary.

Thousands of faithful pack the medieval square outside Castel Gandolfo in Lazio, Italy, to greet Pope Benedict XVI and thank him for his papacy as he settles into his new surroundings.

Due to join the pontiff on the 15-minute flight were his personal secretaries Archbishop Georg Ganswein and Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, along with Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, the deputy prefect of the papal household, Professor Patrizio Polisca who is the pope's personal physician, and Sandro Mariotti, the pope's butler.

It was a quiet departure, characteristic of his shy demeanor, giving little hint of the historical significance of the event ? the first of its kind for almost six centuries.

Earlier, he said a muted goodbye to his cardinals and closest advisers.

"I will continue to be close to you," he told them in the Vatican's 16th century Sala Clementina, before exchanging individual, private greetings.

"The future pope is among you," the pontiff added, pledging his "unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor.

He also expressed a desire for the church to work like an orchestra where diverse elements came together in harmony ? yet another reference to his frustration over infighting at the top of the church.

?

As the final day of Pope Benedict XVI's papacy comes to a close, focus turns to the cardinals entrusted to elect the next leader of the church. NBC's Anne Thompson reports on the upcoming conclave and the centuries-old tradition of a secret vote.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, was among 11 cardinals from the United States bidding him farewell on his final day as pontiff.

"It was kind of somber for me," Dolan told TODAY. "To see this gentle, learned, loving holy man, to see him very fragile, to see him having made what I consider to be a remarkably humble and courageous decision, it was very moving, it was a very tender moment."

"I was honored that he remembered my name ? it?s always good when the boss knows your name," he added.

When the doors of Castel Gandolfo closed shorlty after 8 p.m. local time Friday (2 p.m. ET)?it marked the end of his papacy ? a resignation instead of a death. The?distinctive Swiss Guards in attendance went off duty.

The pontiff, who will now be known as pope emeritus, will remain at the papal summer residence for two months until his permanent home in a monastery within the Vatican is refurbished.

'A caring pastor'
NBC News Vatican expert George Weigel said Benedict would be remembered as "the greatest papal preacher since Gregory the Great in the 6th century" and "a caring pastor."

Almost eight years after the death of John Paul II, it's clear Catholics still feel a special affection for the man often called "the people's pope," who was renowned for his compassion and support of human rights. NBC's Savannah Guthrie reports.

Father John Bartunek, a priest and author who works in Rome, added: "One of the characteristics that has struck us is personal humility and sincerity. He has a certain sweetness and openness and he?s always present, always willing to listen and that will also be part of his legacy."

"A lot of the repercussions of his decisions won?t be seen right away," he said.

Thursday's goodbyes were in stark contrast to?Wednesday's public event, where a crowd of more than 100,000?cheered, applauded and waved banners of support as he delivered his final audience at a packed St. Peter's Square.

He assured pilgrims and well-wishers that he was not "coming down from the cross" despite renouncing his office, saying his decision was taken "in full awareness of its gravity and rarity but also with profound serenity of spirit."

An introverted theologian, Benedict is credited with pushing the "new evangelization" and repairing rifts with Jews, but faulted for not taking stronger action as a sex-abuse scandal tarnished the church's reputation and for letting the Vatican bureaucracy run amok.

Vatican watchers say there is no clear front-runner to replace him and Benedict's legacy will loom large as they look to the future.

A Vatican spokesman told the Catholic News Service that the college will probably not meet over the weekend but could gather the following Monday for informal talks to set a date for the conclave and begin talking about priorities for 266th pope.

Gabriel Bouys / AFP - Getty Images

The pope delivers his final audience in St. Peter's Square as he prepares to stand down.

Under church law, the conclave couldn?t start until March 15, but an amendment this week will allow the cardinals to push up the date as along as all 115 electors are in place. There were supposed to be 117, but one is too sick to attend and another recused himself after being accused of inappropriate behavior with priests.

And the Vatican guesthouse, where the cardinals will stay during the conclave, must be swept for listening devices before they can move in.

The length of the conclave ? with its four secret ballots a day, cast in the Sistine Chapel ? is anyone's guess; it took two days to elect Benedict and three to choose his predecessor, John Paul II.

Dolan, who will be in the conclave, said: "There?s a mixed feeling. You hear cardinals say there is a sense of wanting a new pope as soon as possible, and for that to happen in the most prudent way you need some time for reflection and prayer to get to know each other. But the ?first item on the agenda at the general congregations next week will be 'When well we begin the conclave?'"

Meanwhile, the Vatican announced on Thursday that a 92-year-old French cardinal, Jean Honor?, died on Wednesday. Because of his age, he was not among the 117 cardinals eligible to take part in the conclave.

NBC News' Tracy Connor contributed to this report.

Related:

Inside Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict's spectacular temporary retirement home

'Amateur hour': Vatican conclave drama is one for the history books, experts say

Inside the Vatican: The $8 billion global institution where nuns answer the phones

This story was originally published on Thu Feb 28, 2013 6:57 AM EST

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/28/17129365-thank-you-for-your-friendship-pope-benedict-xvi-flies-from-vatican?lite

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Turkish PM blasts 'Zionism,' complicating Kerry's Mideast trip

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday waded into the controversy over comments by Turkey's prime minister equating Zionism to a crime against humanity, rebuking the leader of the NATO ally by saying such remarks complicate efforts to find peace in the Middle East.

Kerry said the Obama administration found the statements by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan "objectionable" and the stressed the "urgent need to promote a spirit of tolerance, and that includes all of the public statements made by all leaders" at a news conference in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

"We not only disagree with it; we found it objectionable," Kerry said. He added that he had raised the issue with Davutoglu "very directly" and said he would do the same with Erdogan. The spat comes ahead of a trip to Israel and Jordan later this month by President Barack Obama, who wants to try to nudge the Israelis and Palestinians back to peace talks.

Davutoglu, however, gave no acknowledgement of the U.S. complaint and denied that any Turkish official had made hostile or offensive comments about Israel. Instead, he blamed Israel for acting in a hostile way toward Turkey. He repeatedly referred to the deaths of nine civilians at the hands of Israeli commandos aboard a Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship in 2010.

"If Israel wants to hear positive statements from Turkey, it needs to review its attitude," he said. "It needs to review its attitude toward us, and it needs to review its attitude toward the people in the region and especially the West Bank settlements issue."

Asked for his reaction to Davutoglu's remarks, Kerry replied that they demonstrated the difficulty of dealing with such a fraught and emotional situation.

"It underscores the importance of our efforts to try to find a way forward to make peace in this region and to resolve the kind of differences that excite the passions that the foreign minister has just articulated and the difference of opinions about words and about their impact," Kerry said.

Addressing the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations conference in Vienna this week, Erdogan complained of prejudices against Muslims. He said Islamophobia should be considered a crime against humanity "just like Zionism, like anti-Semitism and like fascism."

The White House rejected the comparison on Thursday, calling it "offensive and wrong." A senior State Department official traveling with Kerry said comments like Erdogan's are "corrosive" to U.S.-Turkey relations and damaging to regional and international stability.

Kerry said he believes there is a way to repair the damage, but he added: "It obviously gets more complicated in the aftermath of a speech such as the one we heard in Vienna."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also sharply condemned the remark late Thursday, calling it a "dark and mendacious statement, the likes of which we thought had passed from the world." U.N. chief Ban ki-Moon joined the critics, saying it was "unfortunate that such hurtful and divisive comments were uttered at a meeting being held under the theme of responsible leadership."

Although he did not back down from the Erdogan remarks, Davutoglu did say that Turkey was a strong proponent of the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and would do whatever it could to help achieve that.

Kerry said that despite the comments, he was hopeful Turkey and Israel could eventually find a way to restore their previously close relations.

The uproar has overshadowed Kerry's previously planned visit to the Turkish capital, where he had hoped to spend much of his time discussing the crisis in neighboring Syria and coordinating plans with the Turks to assist the Syrian opposition, which is fighting to oust President Bashar Assad.

The deterioration of Turkish-Israel relations has been a matter of deep worry for the U.S., which has unsuccessfully sought to push the two countries to get back on friendly terms.

Turkey and Israel were once important allies, but relations deteriorated sharply after the 2010 raid.

Turkey is a co-sponsor, along with Spain, of the U.N. initiative to promote tolerance and understanding between various religions.

Turkey's state-run news agency, Anadolu, reported Erdogan's remarks on Wednesday but removed the reference to "Zionism" in a correction sent out an hour later. It said the correction was "made by the source" but gave no other explanation.

Erdogan, whose ruling party has roots in Turkey's Islamic movement, frequently criticizes Israeli actions against Palestinians but rarely speaks out against Zionism. In November, he accused Israel of state terrorism and of an "attempt at ethnic cleansing," a euphemism that describes using violence to force a population to flee an area.

?Kerry was in NATO ally Turkey on the fourth leg of a nine-nation dash through Europe and the Middle East that was his first official overseas trip as secretary of state. Kerry spent much of his time at his first three stops ? Britain, Germany and Italy ? focusing on the conflict in Syria.

Kerry's first stop in Ankara on Friday was the U.S. Embassy, where he spoke at a memorial service for a local Turkish security guard who was killed in a Feb. 1 suicide attack at the embassy gates. Kerry presented the man's family with an award for heroism.

?From Turkey, Kerry will travel to Egypt on Saturday, followed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar before returning to Washington in the middle of next week.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-turkish-comments-complicate-mideast-process-160237937.html

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