MILLIYET- Columnist Sami Kohen writes about the latest developments in the Middle East. A summary of his column is as follows:
UN weapons inspectors yesterday presented to the UN Security Council their long-awaited, crucial report on the progress of their work in Iraq. Later today, US President George W. Bush will address his nation to explain his future Iraq policy. The UN Security Council is to convene tomorrow to discuss the weapons inspectors’ report and decide what to do. And on Friday, Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair will meet to talk about the latest developments. That’s why this week is the most critical week regarding the Iraq issue. Will our world be closer to war after this weekend? I think so. However, the weapons inspectors’ report notes that giving them a few more months to do their work would be a valuable investment, because they could help to avert a war. A few months is also what many countries from Russia to China and anti-war activists worldwide are demanding from the US. However, the Bush administration has made it abundantly clear that it’s prepared to go to war without UN backing, if necessary. Have these words come out of Bush’s mouth just to make Saddam Hussein sweat, or is Bush really serious about waging a war without UN or significant international backing? We don’t know yet. If Bush fails to persuade skeptical allies abroad that there’s no point in giving Saddam any more time to disarm, he is likely to wage a war on his own. We’ll probably see how determined Bush is to attack Iraq after this weekend. Maybe Washington will issue a final ultimatum to Saddam and give peace another chance. However, the US isn’t very likely to wait more than a few weeks. That’s why this is the most critical week for our country as well. Turkey should make its official decision on the US demands as soon as possible. This week is also important for another region of the Middle East. The results of Israeli general elections to be held today are likely to influence not only the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but also the future of the whole region. Ariel Sharon is expected to win the elections. However, we need to ask ourselves whether a Sharon-led government has any real chance of success in moving peace forward in the region.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION