BY TAHA AKYOL (MILLIYET)
Columnist Taha Akyol comments on US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s visit to Turkey today. A summary of his column is as follows:
Which issues will be discussed with US Secretary of State Colin Powell? During yesterday’s government summit chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, this subject was discussed. The first determination was that Powell wouldn’t request a deployment of US troops in Turkey, for two reasons:
Military: The soldiers and equipment that the US might have deployed in Turkey are now about to reach Basra in southern Iraq. At this stage, the US military strategy requires rapid reinforcement of its southern front.
Politics: Our Parliament, which rejected such a proposal even before the bloody face of the war and Iraq’s resistance became clear, would never accept the proposal at this stage, and the US knows it.
Ankara thinks the following issues will be discussed during its meetings with Powell:
Northern Iraq: Powell will clearly explain the nature of US relations with northern Iraq’s Kurds and provide Turkey with reassurances. He will once again request that Turkey not send its forces into the region. Turkey also doesn’t want to be in conflict with the Kurds or upset other bordering countries. Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok has previously explained our sine qua non security conditions. If Powell gives written guarantees, Ankara will answer affirmatively.
Long-term cooperation: According to Ankara, when the shooting begins in northern Iraq and Baghdad proper, the US will badly need Turkey’s help in terms of medical services and logistics. Therefore Powell will want to mend relations with Turkey. Ankara welcomes this idea warmly.
Iraq’s reconstruction: Now the US sees more clearly how difficult it will be to reconstruct Iraq due to the resistance it’s facing. Therefore it needs Turkey’s political and social help, and this issue will be discussed as well.
Strategic partnership: Even if the northern front is a dead issue due to Parliament’s rejection of US troop deployment, the US wants to see that its strategic partnership with Turkey will continue. Ankara agrees. Iraq isn’t the only issue in Turkish-US relations; there are also the Caucasus, Central Asian, Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline, and economic issues to be addressed. And of course the Cyprus issue! Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will visit Cyprus tomorrow. Today the Cyprus issue will be discussed with Powell in detail.
Yesterday an official from Ankara showed me a quote from the Economist magazine: ‘Turkish-US relations have been damaged, but Turkey continues to hold the strategic axis due to its geographical position. Turkey is the only Muslim country within NATO, a powerful friend of Israel and a Western democracy, although it has certain shortcomings.’ This is a very brief summary of the quote. Signs in the two capitals are pointing towards a rational approach. Of course it would be beneficial for everybody to mend relations and reestablish the strategic balance. Therefore Powell will be welcomed in Turkey. However, Ankara will have serious warnings for him as well:
Stop the Armenian lobby: If the fuel of an Armenian bill is added to the fire of the nation’s unease, our relations would grind to a dead halt.
Economic aid: Ankara won’t have any additional requests. However, if the amount of aid proposed by the Bush administration is cut by the US Congress, Ankara will tell Powell that it might consider this an insult and so reject it outright.

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