BY SEMIH IDIZ
MILLIYET- Syria is on the verge of great transformation. God knows whether it will be positive or negative. But almost all regional analysts agree that if Syria withdraws from Lebanon, the country’s influence over the Middle East will weaken considerably. According to Syrian political analyst Michel Kilo, Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon would reduce the country’s regional power and also turn its political, social and economic balances upside down.
Thus, Syria is today debating possible reforms to restructure itself. Our President Ahmet Necdet Sezer also discussed this issue with his counterpart Bashar Assad, who reportedly noted Sezer’s recommendations very carefully.
Sezer, of course, did not directly tell Assad that he should enact reforms. But he told his counterpart how useful and beneficial Turkey’s reforms have been, underlining the importance of a successful reform period for a developing country. Sezer implied that if Damascus pursues a reform policy, it would positively contribute not only to its own citizens’ welfare and prosperity but also to the entire region’s.
All Syrians I’ve talked to said that they’re actually longing for reform. However, they are also aware that there’s no magic wand they can wave to change their country all of a sudden. In other words, they want evolution rather than a revolution. They stressed that Syria needs international support during this period.
Syrians place a high premium on their relations with Turkey, because they see our country as a role model. On the one hand, they see our economic development model as a successful one, but on the other, they’re aware that Ankara’s democratic parliamentarian system based on unique historical foundations cannot be replicated by Damascus. Syrians are closely following Turkey’s practices on such economic issues as private sector incentives, regulating the banking sector and fighting corruption.
There is an important issue here. Syria also wants to establish good relations with the European Union. Full membership is out of the question, but Damascus wants to have a special relationship with Brussels. Both parties have already started to work on a partnership agreement. Although bilateral relations were badly damaged when Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated, fences can still be mended. As a matter of fact, one positive development is that European Parliament Syria Rapporteur Veronique de Kissier recently visited Damascus, drawing up a positive future perspective for Syrian-EU relations.
Assad told Sezer that he was satisfied with Turkey’s good relations with the EU, because he knows that the better Ankara’s relations are with Brussels, the more Turkey can help to boost Syrian-EU relations.