BY YILMAZ OZTUNA
TURKIYE- Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on Turkey’s relations with the European Union and the US. A summary of his column is as follows:
Turkey should prepare for negotiations with the European Union, but it should do this by working to improve its relations with the US. US Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld recently visited Incirlik Airbase but had no contact with officials in Ankara, which shows how our strategic ally was offended by Turkey. Rumsfeld visited the US’ tiny allies in the Persian Gulf to thank them, but he passed through Turkey almost in anger. In addition, US Secretary of State Colin Powell recently travelled to Albania to thank it for participating in the Iraq operation with just 100 soldiers. Our friend in Oceania, Australia, as well as Poland, which we have been supporting for many years in Central Europe, have a place at the table where the new order in Iraq will be formed. In addition, for some reason Turkey didn’t even send Turkish Red Crescent aid to Kirkuk.
Our relations with the EU aren’t easy to handle either. Many people in Turkey don’t believe that the European criteria represent the level of modern civilization. They still have failed to comprehend that there’s no level besides the EU that can save us. There are still some people in every institution, organization and party remain dead set against modernization. They defend today’s corrupt order and are afraid that their status quo will be spoiled. They are incapable of doing anything but barking orders. If they had been able to do anything else, our situation would have been different now.
These people have a strong hold in today’s political power structure. They don’t believe in the EU or else they believe they can use it to advance their own ideology. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan should work to overcome these forced. Concessions cannot be made in terms of reforms and revolution.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION