MILLIYET- Columnist Yasemin Congar writes on the Bush administration's perspective on recent political developments taking place in Turkey. A summary of her column is as follows.
Turkey is at a crossroads. The way out of the political confusion and uncertainty hinges on the path it chooses to pursue. This is how Washington views the current situation in Turkey. Accordingly the heart of Turkey's political deadlock is the heated debate turning around the question of integration with the European Union. The conflict between EU supporters and those who oppose it is the reason for the dramatic political crisis in Turkey. In fact the current picture is not terribly promising. US diplomats and political analysts are of the opinion that the existing government cannot last much longer. Early elections are inevitable. The Bush administration is putting the emphasis on the viability of Turkey's EU membership bid. Lynn Cassell, a US State Department spokeswoman, says that Turkey's full membership in the EU is as crucial to the strategic interests of the US as it is to Turkey's. What lies beneath the US's anxiety about the crisis in Turkey is its possible military attack on Iraq to bring Saddam Hussein down. What Washington wants is a stable government in Ankara, because Turkey's active support for such an attack is a must for a military victory against Saddam. Another major point of US concern is Turkey's economic situation. Washington thinks that Turkey should stick with the ongoing economic program and resist deviating from it due to the present political chaos. Lastly, the US administration is sensitive about early elections and the new political formation headed by former Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, in which Kemal Dervis will also take part as a leading figure. It is known that Washington gave a positive response to this new party formation. All in all, Washington contends that Turkey will overcome the political turmoil it is now suffering from, but only if it can fulfill the EU's Copenhagen criteria and take a major step forward towards EU membership.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION