BY FERAI TINC
HURRIYET- Columnist Ferai Tinc writes on strains in Turkish-US relations over the best policy to take to encourage reform in Syria. A summary of her column is as follows:
After Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul travels to Washington this week, Syria’s prime minister will visit Ankara. Washington’s hawks consider Syria the biggest obstacle to the Middle East peace process and so are urging us to cooperate against Syria at every turn.
However, when we ask what this cooperation entails, no clear answer is forthcoming. Secretary of State Colin Powell, a figure at odds Bush’s neocons on many issues, thinks it would suffice for Ankara to tell Damascus (and Tehran) to stop supporting terrorists and dismantle their weapons of mass destruction.
Our own neoconservatives agree that Turkey should cut its ties with Syria and Iran. I disagree. Turkey should instead maintain good relations with them while urging them to do better in areas such as democracy and human rights. Such a course would surely please the agents of change in those countries.
Significantly, Syria is expected to end the activities of 10 Palestinian organizations designated as terrorists by the Washington and Israel.
Syria is looking to act carefully, keeping an eye on domestic power balances, and also taking into account the reactions of Palestinian refugees within its own borders.
However, clearly Damascus is trying to draw this issue out so as not to lose its trump card in the Middle East peace process.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been trying to accelerate domestic reforms while not provoking resistance in his ruling Baath Party. He has taken some steps, such as releasing his political opponents. US pressure behind these steps is undeniable. But even Syria’s staunchest reformists would prefer the existing regime to any US intervention. Along these lines, I feel that Ankara’s messages to Damascus will find a better audience than would American invasion.