BY MURAT YETKIN
RADIKAL- Columnist Murat Yetkin comments on Turkish-US relations. A summary of his column is as follows:
The United States’ new Consulate-General, which was dedicated yesterday in Istanbul, is said to be one of the largest American buildings ever built outside the country. Ambassador Robert Pearson yesterday conveyed an important message from US Secretary of State Colin Powell to Turkish officials at the opening ceremony, declaring that the Bush administration would continue to support Turkey’s EU membership bid since it believes our country belongs in Europe. Underlining that both Turkey and the US still face the threat of terrorism, Powell stated that the two nations would never be cowed by terrorist groups, while he called the new consulate’s completion the best rejoinder to those who want to see the US leave Turkey. This building seems to be a token of a new beginning for Ankara-Washington relations which were strained after Turkey’s refusal of US troop deployments prior to the Iraq war.
Ankara’s first move to mend strained relations will be Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal’s visit to Washington due to begin on Monday. A prominent military leader, Maj. Gen. Bekir Kalyoncu, head of the General Staff’s Maneuvers Department, is set to accompany Ziyal. Maj. Gen. Kalyoncu was one of the key military personnel in Turkish-US negotiations before and during the Iraq war. Ziyal and Kalyoncu are to discuss postwar developments with American officials. They have already found a slogan for their contacts with the Bush administration: ‘Let’s tell the truth to each other and share our vision!’ There are two significant messages to be conveyed to the US:
Turkey wants peace and democracy in the region. 1. We should cooperate in the fight against terrorism.
What about Turkey’s strategy on these two issues? Looking at recent statements by our prime minister and certain other prominent figures, we can see that there are three important points in Turkey’s plans:
Turkey supports the Middle East ‘road map’ to peace which was recently proposed under the leadership of the US. Ankara is ready to do its utmost to contribute to this plan’s success. 2. Turkey is ready to cooperate with the US against terrorism. Ankara favors establishing democratic regimes in the region instead of repressive ones. 3. Turkey is fully aware that its steps toward democratization will ultimately fall short without a solution to the Kurdish problem. Ankara is preparing to take effective and serious steps on this issue. One such step is to encourage PKK militants to participate in the nation’s social fabric. As a matter of fact, this is one of the most important issues in Ziyal’s briefcase.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION