BY ERDAL SAFAK
SABAH- Ankara will host two stars this week, but while one of them is on the verge of fading the other is still rising. The falling star is British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He says that he likes his job and is hopeful for a third term, but Britain’s ruling Labour Party has started to prepare itself for the post-Blair era. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has even said that the search for a successor has gained momentum.
Blair’s visit is based on a decision made in the wake of last November’s terrorist attacks in Istanbul under which the two countries’ premiers will meet twice a year. Blair is the first to do so. The visit’s agenda is already set: next month’s NATO summit in Istanbul, the Greater Middle East Initiative, recent developments in Iraq, the Cyprus issue and of course Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Blair has been clear on his policies towards Ankara from the beginning, plus he is honest and has taken a favorable attitude towards Turkey. In March he said that the EU has to show its will to accept Turkey – describing it as a proud country with a Muslim majority – under the same conditions as its other members. He reiterated this on May 9, adding that it has already decided that Turkey will become an EU member, but he urged Ankara to fulfill the conditions which other members also had to complete. There are rumors that Blair will surprise Ankara by announcing his government’s decision to allow direct flights to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). We’ll see.
The second guest, a rising star who came to power after a revolution, is new Georgian President Mihail Saakasvili. He has pledged to do whatever is needed to preserve Georgia’s territorial integrity, which means that two revolutions are on the way. Sakasvili will visit Ankara on May 20-21. It is said that he will offer his help in mediating between Turkey and Armenia.