BY DERYA SAZAK
MILLIYET- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the support it requested from US President George W. Bush about the solution of Cyprus issue yesterday at the White House. Bush charged US Secretary of State Colin Powell to have contact with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Bush made a striking statement about Iraq’s future. Considering Turkey’s fear for Iraq’s disintegration, Bush said, ‘I believe in God, trust me. There will be no development disadvantageous to Turkey.’ Erdogan was very pleased with the meeting. After the White House supported the thesis of ‘going one step ahead,’ Erdogan-Gul administration now believes that a solution can be found to the Cyprus solution before May 1 and that the path to the EU will be opened at the end of 2004. Otherwise, the Greek Cypriot administration will have the right to ‘veto’ after May 1 and the possibility of Greek to put Ankara under pressure will increase.
Turkey becomes the side which compels the solution to the Cyprus issue so the positive atmosphere in Europe won’t disperse after the meetings held with EU Commission President Romano Prodi. The US’ support is also important for Turkey’s EU membership bid. The improvement to be made in the first half of the year 2004 will also determine the stances of countries, which object the timetable. Turkey didn’t put itself into the position of an ‘invader’ next to the US and thus increased its respect. Relations with the US which were spoiled in March had been mended. Turkey is the most suitable country to the model of democratization, which the US defends in the Middle East. Iraq’s future also has priority in Turkish-US relations. Before the meeting at the White House, it was interesting that Erdogan said, ‘I don’t consider the approach of a federal Kurdish state healthy.’ In addition, during the meeting, the new name of the PKK-KADEK was announced as Kongra-Gel terrorist organization.