BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI
STAR- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will carry a heavy briefcase with him to next week’s G-8 summit in the US. The main subject of the summit is the US’ Greater Middle East Initiative (GME). Actually Turkey, which is not a G-8 member, was invited to the summit for its ‘possible contributions’ to the GME. Erdogan will bring with him notes, caveats and suggestions about the GME as follows:
NATO shouldn’t have a role in the GME. – This will be Erdogan’s main message. He will recall that when the US was shaping the GME, it said the project’s aim was bringing democracy to the region. Erdogan will say that democracy cannot be established at the barrel of a gun and warn of possible disturbances in countries in the region should NATO be included. * A standard, single plan cannot be applied to all countries in the region. – Erdogan will emphasize that the regimes, social and economic conditions and geographies of the ‘target’ countries in the Middle East are different from each other and that applying a standard, single democratization to the entire region is unthinkable. * The opinion and approval of each host country should be gotten. – Erdogan will say this should be done so democratization and economic welfare can be developed separately for each country. * The EU should have a hand in the process. – Erdogan will argue that the EU’s support should be obtained in the formation and implementation stage of the GME, adding that it would be very difficult to implement a project without EU support.
During the summit, Erdogan will make suggestions about Turkey’s role in the GME. Ankara started diplomatic negotiations with the US long ago. When the GME was first put forth, Washington considered Turkey a ‘target’ country. But later it concluded that Turkey would better be a ‘model’ country. However, Ankara wasn’t pleased by this concept because it thought it would create serious problems within the Middle East, and so Turkey was invited to the summit as a democratic ally. Erdogan will underline this role in the summit and tell the G-8 leaders that Turkey can be accepted only as an ‘example’ country. He will also tell them what Turkey can do as an example country and democratic ally. Erdogan will push for the following:
Developing the macro finance and banking systems of Middle Eastern countries, * Strengthening nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), Improving the Middle East’s educational system and harmonizing it with democratic norms.
In sum, Turkey plans to participate in the GME not as a model, but as an example country.