CUMHURIYET- Columnist Mustafa Balbay comments on Prime Minister Ecevit's visit to the US and its consequences. A summary of his column is as follows:
Prime Minister Ecevit's meeting with US President Bush which formed the backbone of his visit to America can be interpreted as a declaration of what is known or merely a bunch of words. At the moment the uncertainty over Iraq is still lingering. The only achievement made here is time, meaning a delay of two to six months. If Iraq doesn't permit UN observers President Bush will show what action the US is to take, and only before the last step will it consult Turkey. It seems like Turkey has a key role here, but the key is in the hands of the US. Just before Ecevit's meeting with Bush, the announcement by Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq stating that Iraq's territorial integrity important for them was an interesting coincidence! At this point, the US, Turkey and Iraq seem to agree on one point namely that, the problem is not Iraq but Saddam Hussein. The meeting between Denktas and Clerides came just before the Ecevit-Bush meeting. The US was pleased with the continuation of the talks. Greece is also following Ecevit's visit closely. The Greek press stated that Ecevit's visit was more influential than that of their own leader Simitis. This seems to be the case because Turkey has historical ties with regions that the US has its eyes on for the 21st century. The USSR vacated two main spheres with its collapse in 1991: its territories outside Russia and these countries under the USSR's sphere of influence. US policies over the last 10 years were carried out through a process of 'trial and error'. In the next, more planned steps will be taken. The argument that US steps in this direction will be strengthened if it acts in cooperation with Turkey seems to have been adopted by the Washington administration. On the issue of trade, the US will form a committee to investigate present state of affairs. The results coming from this commission will be seen later. One of Bush's concrete promises was in the tourism sector. The US lifted the travel advisory it had issued last fall for the security of US citizens coming to Turkey. Tourism operators believe that US tourists spend more money than Europeans. The consequences of Ecevit's visit will be discussed in the coming days. The prime minister has strengthened foreign support for his government. However, foreign support doesn't strengthen the government structure, but just keeps it alive. The structure can be strengthened only when it is based on pillars grounded in the country itself.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION