BY SOLI OZEL
SABAH- US Vice President Dick Cheney's visit managed to snuff out a number of arguments, or at least that's how it came out in public. In some respect, if his visit was put on Cheney's itinerary by US President George W. Bush, we'd be right to consider it a courtesy call. Of course, it also game him a chance to buy carpets for his family.
If we aren't asked to do more in Afghanistan or to isolate Iran, the future of relations with Iraqi Kurds seems our most pressing issue. From another perspective, some of Cheney's messages actually were echoes of things said by Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani in Erbil. Back then, Cheney was urging the Iraqi Parliament to pass an oil law, seen as vital by the US for Iraq's territorial integrity, and he said he was glad that the Kirkuk referendum had been delayed. But it's known that the Bush administration, including Cheney, wants Turkey to forge better relations with the Kurdish regional administration and talk to Erbil and also support operations against the terrorist PKK in order to provide this and stress Turkey's importance. During his visit, Cheney also reiterated that the PKK is Turkey and the US' common enemy.
It's not known if Cheney urged steps to solve the Kurdish issue. In sum, Cheney visited an important ally without dealing with sensitive issues, in order to underline Turkey's importance and continue the rapprochement in relations. Clearly, Turkish-US relations were generally set in order. The real problem lies within Turkey. Those who have political scores to settle are busy quarrelling with each other and pushing the country to the brink. The links, intentions and network of relations uncovered by the Ergenekon probe into a right-wing gang are troubling. So serious figures issuing messages of concern has a purpose. Here we should reiterate that no party can be closed down by such an indictment. Moreover, in democracies, political systems should quell their excesses. This would bring a minimum consensus about the rules of the game. This consensus comes from trust in politics and a belief in civilian supremacy and is fed by the philosophy of democratic law.
The real target of accusations against the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not the party itself. Erdogan is fighting to stay in political life. As he thinks that he could be stabbed in the back from within the AKP, he wants to escalate the tension and lean directly on party supporters. It's doubtful this initiative will succeed.
The alternative is a bold opening in our democratization process, reviving up our European Union membership process, and calmly putting a democratic project forward to convince the public. Besides, there's something to do. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and its leader Deniz Baykal, which is moving towards authoritarianism even worse than Saddam Hussein's Baath regime, should be asked this: What kind of a regime does the CHP want? Does it want to get Turkey into the EU and is it ready to do the citizen-oriented openings needed for this? If not, what's the order, system of alliance and political ownership that it considers worthy of the Turkish nation in the 21st century? Instead of taking an angry stance and contradicting everybody, Erdogan should try such an opening.