BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI
STAR- Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli writes on last week’s World Economic Forum in Amman, Jordan. A summary of his column is as follows:
Although Turkey focused on Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s talks with US Secretary of State Colin Powell to the exclusion of almost all else at the recent World Economic Forum in Amman, a host of significant issues for our country were discussed during the meeting’s behind-the-scenes discussions. Here are some of them:
Since Turkey is the only Muslim democracy in the region, Gul’s speeches attracted great attention. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said openly that the European Union considered Turkey a ‘role model’ for the Middle East. ‘Turkey’s entrance into the EU would be an opportunity to reintegrate the humanistic tradition of Islam with the Mediterranean legacy,’ he said.
Americans stayed mum about Turkey’s possible role in Iraq’s reconstruction. Stating that Washington placed a high premium on reestablishing security in the country, US Iraq administrator Paul Bremer predicted that an Iraqi army would be formed within two weeks. He also added that a council would also be established to deal with country’s political matters.
Here are some issues that might cause us troubles in the future:
The region’s water problems were one of the most important issues at the gathering. Although the official participants shied away from the issue, unofficial Syrian and Iraqi representatives urged Turkey to share the water resources of the Tigris and Euphrates with other countries that two rivers pass through. An unofficial Iraqi participant went too far, however, calling on the EU to put pressure on Ankara on this issue at a panel attended by the German and Spanish foreign ministers and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
The other problematic issue for Turkey was that of the oil pipelines. Re-activating the Mosul-Haifa oil pipeline, an alternative to Kirkuk-Yumurtalik, was frequently brought up during the meetings. In addition, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Adeli informed fellow participants of his country’s plans to build a new pipeline to transport Kazakh oil to the Persian Gulf. He asserted that this new line would be ‘the most cost-effective, shortest and safest’ method available.
Finally, here are the views of some representatives from international firms on Turkey, which is hoping for more foreign investment in the future:
Foreign businessmen asked Economy Minister Ali Babacan how Ankara would fight to eliminate bribery, which they charged was still endemic in the Turkish business world. These people believe that not only individuals but also political parties practice bribery in Turkey. Faced with this tough question, all Babacan said was his party didn’t even accept donations.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION