BY OKTAY EKSI
HURRIYET- The question of whether we are entering a clash of civilizations has been on people's minds in recent years. As you know, this idea was put forward by Samuel Huntington. Huntington claimed that conflict will arise between Islam, Christianity and Confucianism. And there is no sign that he has given up his claims about a clash of civilizations.
On the other hand a movement was started by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. This movement says that a clash of civilizations isn't inevitable. `On the contrary, it is possible to reach a compromise and cooperation between civilizations,' it says. The `Ernst Reuter Manifesto' which is expected to be released by the Turkish and German foreign ministers is the first step of this compromise movement. It is reported that this manifesto, to be presented by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, rests on a `dialogue between cultures'. It seems that a joint call by Turkish daily Hurriyet and German daily Bild last year encouraged this manifesto. After the Mouhammed cartoon crisis, Hurriyet and Bild published a joint text on tolerance and common sense.
The manifesto aims at realizing the call by these newspapers. The manifesto underlines the belief that people from different cultures and religion can live together in a peaceful environment. It also envisages cooperation between publishers and revising school textbooks. These are all good ideas, but I have one question: Wouldn't it be better if the Spanish foreign minister and other states also signed this text? It would also be better if there were a permanent official to realize the visions of this manifesto. Otherwise it could be forgotten.