MILLIYET- Columnist Sami Kohen writes on two summits held in two capitals thousands of miles apart from each other. A summary of his column is as follows:
Today, in two capitals thousands of miles apart from each other, two important summits are being held which are of great importance to Turkey. The first summit will be between Prime Minister Ecevit and US President Bush. The second will be held by Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders Clerides and Denktas in Lefkosha. It is an interesting coincidence that both summits take place on the same day. Cyprus is not one of the top priority issues on the agenda of Ecevit's US talks. Most probably, President Bush will bring up the Cyprus issue during their talks, expressing his pleasure over the resumption of bilateral negotiations and calling on Turkey to help in the search for a solution. If an accord had not been reached to resume face-to-face talks during the Denktas-Clerides meeting on Dec. 4, the meeting in Washington might not have taken place in such a positive atmosphere. Will this negotiation process lead to a concrete result? It is very hard to guess at this point. However, it can be said that they have the chance to proceed on and even succeed. Both leaders know that this is their last chance and if they are not successful, unpleasant incidents may occur. Both sides are aware that 'intransigence is not a good solution.' But this is not enough. Both sides also have to exert great efforts for a serious agreement without trampling on their basic interests. It is hard but not impossible. Both sides have to take care not to destroy the air of optimism or lose the momentum gained. There are two ways to ensure this. The first is to declare a 'speech moratorium' and act accordingly. The second is to take steps towards building confidence rather than shaking it. Non-governmental organizations may help in this point, as in the rapprochement between Turkey and Greece. At the moment it is foreseen that three meetings per week will be held in Lefkosha. The leaders had agreed before that they would not leave the negotiation table until they come to an accord. We hope that this will be so.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION