MILLIYET- Columnist Fikret Bila writes on the current Middle East crisis. A summary of his column is as follows:
Concern for Palestinian leader Arafat’s life is increasing. The consequences of a situation with Arafat surrounded in his compound, with nothing to eat or drink and his possible elimination, has spurred Ankara. After Prime Minister Ecevit’s phone call to Arafat, no leader has been able to contact him. The impression Ecevit received from their talk was that his conditions constituted a cause for concern for Arafat’s life. This impression was conveyed to all concerned countries, including the US and international organizations. Upon Israel’s occupation of Palestine and its intentions to eliminate Arafat as displayed by the Sharon administration, Ankara has warned the US that if Arafat is killed the consequences would be grave. The policies of the countries in the region, including those of Turkey, would be influenced by such an event. This message was conveyed to US Ambassador to Ankara Robert Pearson by the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The same message was conveyed to US officials by Turkey’s Ambassador to Washington. Faruk Logoglu. We can say that the same message was also conveyed to Israeli Foreign Minister Simon Peres. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem expressed Turkey’s concerns to Peres in a phone call. Was Ankara able to get a guarantee for Arafat’s security? One cannot answer this question. Even though US officials are stating that Israel will not risk Arafat’s life, the physical and psychological conditions Arafat is being subjected to show that his life is under no guarantee. Ankara is drawing attention to the fact that Arafat’s health may deteriorate due to the siege and its physical conditions. Washington has to step in to guarantee Arafat’s security actively and with determination. At this stage, Ankara is trying to achieve this. Under the present circumstances all countries, including those in the Arab world, should pressure the US and Israel towards this end. Otherwise, we run the serious risk of the Middle East exploding like a lit fuse if Arafat is eliminated from the scene.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION