BY MURAT YETKIN
RADIKAL- Columnist Murat Yetkin writes on Turkish-US relations and the European Union. A summary of his column is as follows:
While our government was working on the National Program yesterday, Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis was in Washington for annual talks with US government officials. Other leading EU officials such as European Commission President Romano Prodi and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana accompanied Simitis, the most important figure of Greece which currently holds the rotating EU term presidency.
These meetings were important since they aimed to bring EU and US leaders closer together after the recent acrimony over the Iraq war. Prodi had recently stated that he was seriously concerned about Iran’s nuclear program and investments in nuclear energy, despite its holding more than 60% of the world’s known oil reserves. These words might be seen as an effort by the EU to mend relations with the US strained over the Iraq war. Brussels is trying to show Washington that this time it would not let the US go it alone. Let’s recall that the EU has also expressed support for the Israeli-Palestinian road map promoted by the US. In addition, Powell recently thanked Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul for calling on all Muslim countries to move towards greater democratization during the Islamic foreign ministers’ meeting in Tehran. Not only Ankara and Brussels, but also Washington is trying to mend fences with its potential allies. There is a widespread opinion that growing worldwide anti-Americanism growing is very likely to damage the European countries in the long run. Under these circumstances, from now on Ankara should take ginger steps towards the future.
Washington is currently seeking a number of studies and efforts on the future of Turkish-US relations. For example, a joint group of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies are meeting with US officials to find new ground on which to build stronger Turkish-US ties. Furthermore, US think tank the Brookings Institute and the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) are set to begin a two-year project on the future of bilateral relations. Meanwhile, Washington Ambassador Faruk Logoglu is in contact with US State Department officials and congressmen in order to lay the groundwork for a positive atmosphere for Gul’s possible visit to the US capital in the near future.
Interestingly, my recent impression has been that the better relations Turkey has with the US, the closer it gets to the EU. Let’s take a look at some other recent developments: Turkey was fearful that the EU’s draft Constitution would include exclusionary statements against itself, based on the idea of a Christian Europe. However, it does not. Moreover, the EU recently announced that it would release a new loan for Turkey to be used for developing the southeastern Anatolia region. The General Staff’s Office recently prepared a proposal to shorten the duration of compulsory military service. In addition, our government has recently sped up its efforts on reform packages. We see that both the EU and Turkey are well aware that our relations are on the right track.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION