BY SOLI OZEL
SABAH- There are at least three current foreign issues that closely concern Turkey. The first is the reported US plan to withdraw from Iraq either completely or by redeploying into certain areas starting in 2009 and, along those lines, how Iraq's future will be shaped. The second is the struggle for regional dominance between Iran and the US. The third is Nicholas Sarkozy's recent election as French president.
Concerning the first issue, the recent Sharm al-Sheikh conference of countries neighboring Iraq didn't work out. The next such conference will be held in Istanbul. The possibility of US withdrawal by redeploying soldiers to certain areas would mean an American presence in northern Iraq. Thus issues such as the future of the city of Kirkuk,the terrorist PKK and relations between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurdish region take on added importance. Whether a consensus is reached or not on these issues will determine the quality of Turkish-US relations in the future.
As for the competition between Iran and the US, which also carries importance for the future of Iraq, the two parties are seeking to mobilize their allies in the region. Iran wants to use Iraqi Shiites, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas as far as it can. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia, scared and even vexed by Iran's recent policies, is trying to form a bloc opposing Tehran. Hence, it is working to make peace between Israel and Palestine. Trying to form regional coalitions, it is spending a lot of money in Lebanon. Although it bitterly criticizes the US, it gives the impression that it may cooperate with the Washington neocons.
Sarkozy's presidential victory, on the other hand, may affect relations between Turkey and the EU. However, Sarkozy's being anti-Turkish, as he has openly declared, isn't the only factor in these relations. In his comprehensive and detailed analysis in yesterday's Financial Times, Martin Woolf argued that Sarkozy's France will actually be a problem for the EU. According to Woolf, France's traditions and the new president seeking a Europe suitable for the vision of France will come to face both France and the EU. Under this scenario, the future of the EU becomes more and more unclear. Turkey has a good chance of benefiting from these ambiguities if it doesn't waver from its goal of becoming a member and continues to move forward. Without doubt, however, relations between Turkey and the EU should be taken up with a different political style from now on.
It is clear that both the treatment of the EU or its members towards Turkey and the language they use play a role in the recent rise in anger in Turkey. In addition to other factors, protestors flocked to mass rallies seemingly due to a feeling of being deceived by the EU. After the recent statement of the General Staff and the subsequent crisis, the Union gave the impression that it got the message, so it should act accordingly. Turkey, on the other hand, should give up attributing identity and integration problems it hasn't been able to solve for the last 84 years to the EU or others. Considering these developments, it is clear that Turkey is entering a difficult period."