BY ILTER TURKMEN
HURRIYET- Turkey's temporary UN Security Council membership shouldn't have been extraordinary. Many countries far smaller than Turkey with no geopolitical importance have been elected. The reason Turkey hasn't gotten a seat since the early '60s is the Cyprus issue. Greek also hasn't sat on the council until recently for the same reason. But it was good to see us get the support of 150 states, more than the number of votes needed. Our country scored a great success thanks to an intensive diplomatic initiative and lobbying campaign. It wouldn't be right to complain about how much money was spent on this.
This investment got us council membership and also boosted Turkey's profile and influence on the international stage. We should congratulate our president, government, and Foreign Ministry, and our UN Ambassador Baki Ilkin, who brilliantly capped off his diplomatic career on the verge of retirement, and all the diplomats who helped him.
The Security Council, which is responsible for international peace and security, is obviously the most important organ of the UN system. Under the UN Charter, measures taken by members to exercise the right of self-defense shall be immediately reported to the council and shall not in any way affect the council's authority and responsibility to take such action it sees as necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security. But this rule has been obviously violated. The presence of five states with the right to veto has sometimes crippled the council. The council approved of the 1991 Gulf War, but it couldn't stop the unfortunate US intervention in 2003. The council later decided to authorize the presence of coalition forces in Iraq and thus indirectly legalized this occupation. Issues concerning Iraq might be brought to the council during Turkey's membership. Some fear Turkey might be put in a difficult position due the council dealing with Iraq and Iran, but avoiding the risks of membership is impossible. Of course, we won't try not to offend anybody.
For example, if we believe that Iran's nuclear program constitutes a serious threat, we'll have to take a stance in line with that. If the Georgian issue comes up, we will insist on Georgia's territorial integrity. Some also wonder if membership will provide us with certain advantages, but right now I think the answer is no. In terms of the Cyprus issue, all the council does now is hold routine meetings to, for instance, extend the peacekeeping force's mandate on the island. Expecting the talks between Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot administration leader Demetris Christofias to produce a solution which might require Security approval in just two years is overly optimistic. Of course, we can't foresee what crises might come before the council, only that it will face critical new problems due to the unstable time in which we live.
And there's another key point. When countries are elected to the council, they generally send their best diplomats to New York to represent them. The ambassador we decide to send should have experience in international institutions as well as easy rapport, quick judgement, fluent English and expression skills, and a good sense of humor so that we can play an effective role on the council.