Cheney On His Way To Ankara

MILLIYET- Columnist Derya Sazak comments on US Vice President Dick Cheney’s planned visit to Turkey scheduled for March 19. A summary of his column is as follows:
US Vice President Dick Cheney arrived Sunday in London, the first stop on his 12-nation tour that will focus on the war against terrorism, recent developments in the Middle East and possible US military intervention in Iraq. Cheney is scheduled to visit Turkey on March 19 as a part of his Mideast tour.
Cheney’s stated wish to meet with the Turkish chief of General Staff as well as the prime minister and foreign minister has increased suspicions in Ankara that he will bring a ‘military action plan’ against Iraq to the table during his visit.
One senior US official’s remarks before Cheney’s departure from Washington signaled the US’s expectations and plans over Iraq:
‘We believe that Iraq poses a major threat to the region and to its neighbors. The US wants the current regime in Iraq to change. Turkey is a close ally to the US. We have strong cooperation with Turkey on intelligence, financial, legal and military matters. If we decide to take military action against Iraq, the only problem between the US and Turkey would be the issue of timing.’
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit recently reiterated his concern on TRT 1 along these lines:
“Regardless of whether or not Turkey actively participates, a possible US intervention in Iraq would adversely affect the Turkish economy. We cannot expect additional foreign investment as long as the problem of Iraq hangs over the region like a cloud.”
Ankara’s concerns are understandable, but it is not clear whether the Bush-Cheney administration is taking these concerns seriously. The US administration is now trying to protect newly emerging balances in the wake of the war in Afghanistan, which it also considers a ground for further actions against terrorism. ‘God bless the coalition,’ said US President Bush in a 6-month commemoration ceremony held yesterday for victims of the Sept. 11 terrorism at the White House. Just before Bush’s address at the high-profile ceremony, Turkey’s Ambassador to Washington Faruk Logoglu delivered a speech condemning last year’s terrorist attacks.
The question as to which country will take over the command of the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan after the British contingent’s duty ends, and what to do if Iraq doesn’t open its doors to United Nations weapons inspectors, leapt to the top of the agenda at Cheney’s meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday. Both issues closely concern Turkey.
The issue of Saddam is knocking on Turkey’s doors again!”

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION