HISTORY’S LESSONS
BY HIKMET BILA (CUMHURIYET)
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday personally received
the letter of credentials of Kofi Dsane Selby, the Ghanaian
Ambassador to Italy who also serves as a Ghana’s
representative to Ankara. Later, Noemy Judith Baruch Goldberg,
Costa Rica's ambassador to Tel Aviv who also represents her
country in Ankara, also presented her letter of credentials to
President Sezer. /Anatolia News Agency/
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is currently in
Berlin for an official visit, yesterday met with German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to seek his support for Turkey’s
European Union membership bid. During their talks, Schroeder
said that Germany would support Turkey at the EU’s December
2004 summit, when the Union is to decide whether
or not to
begin accession talks with Turkey. “Turkey has been waiting
for 20 years,” he said. “I will do my best for Turkey to join
the EU as soon as possible.” He further added that the Union
would not disappoint the Turkish nation. Said Erdogan for his
part, “We will not forget the help given to us by Chancellor
Schroeder. We hope that this support will continue.” In
related news, Erdogan met with German Foreign Minister Joschka
Fischer to discuss a number of issues, including Iraq’s
postwar situation and Turkey’s EU bid. During their meeting,
Fischer stressed that Turkey was a modern Islamic country and
praised its recent passage of two EU harmonization packages.
For his part, Erdogan said that Turkey’s joining the Union
would positively change the EU’s mentality. /All papers/
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who is currently paying an
official visit to Vienna, yesterday met with his Austrian
counterpart Betina Ferrero-Waldner. During their talks, the
two top diplomats discussed Turkish-European Union relations
and the recently passed sixth and seventh EU harmonization
packages as well as Turkish-Austrian trade relations. Speaking
to reporters, Gul said that Ankara was conducting a risk
analysis on the prospect of sending troops to Iraq, adding
that a final decision on the matter has yet to be made. In
addition, Gul met with Parliament Speaker Andreas Khol and
Premier Wolfgang Schussel. /All Papers/
The Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
is set to convene in the central Anatolian province of Sivas
tomorrow to mark the 84th anniversary of the Sivas Congress, a
key step in the founding of the Turkish Republic. During the
meeting, issues concerning the province will be discussed in
addition to national and international matters. In related
news, Sivas Airport was also recently re-commissioned into
service by the premier after having been closed for some time.
/Turkiye/
Gen. James Jones, supreme commander of NATO forces in
Europe, yesterday arrived in Ankara to discuss with both
military and civilian officials a possible Turkish troop
deployment to Iraq. Jones’ first scheduled meeting today will
be with Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, and later he
is expected to visit Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul. Ozkok
earlier issued a statement saying the aim of their meeting
would be to get needed information about the possible mission
in Iraq, which in turn would be submitted to the government
and Parliament to help guide their decision. “We will get the
military information that we need, nothing more,” said Ozkok.
Ozkok added that a US delegation would also soon arrive in
Turkey to hold technical meetings. /All Papers/
Newly posted US Ambassador to Ankara Eric Edelman yesterday
met with Ankara Chamber of Industry Chairman Zafer Caglayan to
exchange views on recent political and economic developments.
Ankara and Washington reportedly recently agreed on the terms
of an $8.5 billion loan from to help Turkey cushion the
economic impact of the Iraq war. Despite recent rumors that
the loan was tied to Ankara's military cooperation in Iraq,
Edelman denied any direct link between the loan deal and
possible Turkish troop deployments in Iraq. “However,
Washington wants to see Turkey on its side,” said the US
ambassador. For his part, Caglayan stated that Turkey wished
to establish fuller economic cooperation with the US, rather
than receiving limited loan funds. “I told Edelman that Ankara
wanted to protect Iraq’s territorial integrity and also
improve cooperation between Turkish and US businessmen in
Iraq’s reconstruction,” added Caglayan. /Cumhuriyet/
Taha Badawi Hamid al-Alwani, the mayor of Fallujah, an
Iraqi city 50 kilometers northwest of Baghdad, yesterday said
Fallujah residents would be very pleased to see Turkey sending
soldiers to Iraq. Al-Alwani stated that he had explained to
his constituents the contributions which Turkish soldiers
could make to the region. “If foreign forces are going to come
to our country, we want them to be Turkish soldiers,” said the
mayor. Al-Alwani also said that Turkey and Iraq shared many
common ties through their shared region, faith and kinship,
adding, “We’re awaiting your soldiers’ arrival.” /Hurriyet/
The British-laid borders for Iraq set after the Ottoman era
were a mistake, said Richard Holbrooke, the former US
Ambassador the United Nations, on Sunday. "The country we call
Iraq was created 81 years ago by Winston Churchill and others
at the Cairo conference in 1922," Holbrooke told Fox News. "It
never should have been created in its current international
borders. The Ottomans had ruled it for 400 years as three
different provinces – the Kurds, the Sunnis and the Shiites –
Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. That was the right solution. The
British made a mistake." Asked whether the borders should be
reconsidered, Holbrooke replied, "I've thought a lot about
that... I think, in 1991, the first Bush administration,
working with the Turks, could have done it. ...[But] I think
the moment to correct the Churchillian mistake of 1922 is
passed, which means we are in a terrifically difficult
problem.” /Turkiye, Foxnews.com/
The terrorist group PKK/KADEK announced yesterday that as
of Monday, it had ended its five-year ceasefire, claiming that
Kurds in Turkey lack adequate political and cultural rights.
This summer Turkey’s Parliament passes a slate of reforms
including new rights for the nation’s Kurds, a move soon
followed by an amnesty law designed to encourage the
terrorists to lay down their arms. In related news, European
Union sources characterized the PKK/KADEK announcement as a
sign of weakness and panic within its ranks. “The terror
group’s shouting in recent days is the result of panic
stemming from the partial amnesty law,” said Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul, echoing the EU sentiments, during his current
visit to Vienna. /Star/
Recep Yazicioglu, the governor of the western Anatolian
province of Denizli, was injured yesterday in a car accident
near Temelli, Ankara. The governor’s official car lost control
and was overturned, killing Denizli Chamber of Commerce
Chairman Haldun Tellioglu (40) as well as injuring the driver.
Yazicioglu was seriously wounded in the accident and was
operated on at Ankara’s Trafik Hospital. He remains in serious
condition in the intensive care unit of Ibn-i Sina Hospital. /All
Papers/
Turkey and Italy have decided to sign a cooperation
agreement on the environment and forests, the Ministry of the
Environment and Forestry announced yesterday. Environment and
Forestry Minister Osman Pepe, currently in Cuba for a UN
conference on desertification, met yesterday with his Italian
counterpart Altero Matteali. Pepe said that both he and
Matteali were seeking cooperation between their two countries
on the environment and forestry and that they particularly
wanted this cooperation to focus on using donations or long-term
loans from the European Union. For his part, Matteali said
that he would be pleased to see cooperation with Turkey in
various fields, adding that Italy attached great importance to
Ankara’s EU candidacy. Matteali stated that studies on the
environment and forestry should be finished as soon as
possible and that Turkey should convey its proposals to his
government. The two sides decided to organize bilateral visits
of technical personnel and to finish all studies in order to
sign an agreement between the two countries during a UN
climate change summit in Italy this December. /Anatolia News
Agency/
A consortium of 12 trade banks headed by JP Morgan and
including Turkey’s Akbank yesterday won a tender for the
management of the Trade Bank of Iraq, a new institution
established to finance Iraq’s reconstruction. “We are very
proud of Akbank's representing Turkey in establishing and
managing the Trade Bank of Iraq, which will play a very
critical role in Iraq’s reconstruction,” said Akbank head
Zafer Kurtul. Stating that the new bank would also contribute
to developing trade between Turkey and Iraq, Kurtul said that
it would be hugely important for both Akbank and Turkey’s
economy in general. The Trade Bank of Iraq is expected to
start working this month to mediate foreign trade transactions
and provide financial services. Under the tender, Akbank is to
handle Turkey’s commercial transactions with Iraq, open or
confirm letters of credit in favor of the Trade Bank of Iraq,
and also extend financial and technical assistance to the
bank. /Sabah/
The Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) yesterday revised its
outlook on Turkey from negative to stable. A JRC statement
noted that since the Iraq war ended earlier than expected,
concerns over its possible adverse effects on Turkey’s economy
had dissipated. “The Turkish economy has been in good shape,
supported by the rise in exports mainly due to the sharp
depreciation of the Turkish lira since 2001 and the recovery
of domestic demand,” said JCR. Recalling that last month the
International Monetary Fund approved the disbursement of a
fifth loan tranche to Ankara, the statement said, “JCR has
decided to remove credit monitoring from the ratings on yen-denominated
bonds issued by Turkey’s government, and to simultaneously
revise the rating outlook from negative to stable.” /Hurriyet/
The Women Entrepreneurs’ Association (KAGIDER) yesterday
hosted a gathering in Istanbul bringing together Turkish and
Indian businesswomen. At the meeting, a delegation of 21
Indian businesswomen representing various sectors such as
textiles, chemicals and information technology held bilateral
contacts with their Turkish counterparts. KAGIDER head Meltem
Kurtsan stated that she was very pleased to organize such an
important meeting which she hoped would be a first step in
improving commercial relations between the two groups.
/Cumhuriyet/
Columnist Hasan Cemal comments on Turkey’s relations with
the European Union. A summary of his column is as follows:
“Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is currently in Berlin
for official visits, even as Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is
in Vienna to meet with Austrian officials. From Berlin,
Erdogan will proceed to Rome to meet with his European
counterparts. The common feature of these contacts is the
presence of both Turkey and Europe. From my impressions of
phone calls among Berlin, Brussels and Ankara, Turkey’s
current relations with the EU are good. Even a member of the
Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD)
also visiting Berlin had this to say: ‘The EU has a
surprisingly positive stance.’ And according to a diplomatic
source in Turkey, ‘Ankara has fulfilled almost all the
Copenhagen criteria. The pretexts of certain groups who want
to see Turkey out of the EU are eroding rapidly. The
atmosphere is getting better.’
The reasons for this improvement are clear. The key factors
are the sixth and seventh harmonization packages passed by
Parliament through the government’s political determination.
These reformist steps, which made a melodious echo in the
European press, changed the EU capitals’ opinion of Turkey.
‘Turkey is doing everything in time, without delay,’ said
Guven Ozalp, the Brussels correspondent for Milliyet daily.
‘In addition, the new government’s style and words have
changed for the better. Now it can look on the EU not as an
enemy, but as a partner. Therefore it can approach relations
with the EU in a positive stance with an eye on reaching
solutions. As a result, certain anti-Turkey circles within the
EU Commission are in a bind because we’ve started to play the
game better.’
Two stages lie ahead of us now: firstly, this fall’s EU
Progress Report and then a possible date for negotiations. The
former will be released in November and the latter will become
clear next December. Certain circles within the EU are
concerned that we’re waiting for a signal from the EU on
membership negotiations. Yes, we are. Now it’s largely the
EU’s turn. For this reason, Brussels and the EU capitals
should take the steps Turkey is seeking on the Progress Report
and a date for negotiations. An opposite result would be
amount to a historic, irresponsible misstep. I don’t think the
EU will fall into such a trap.”
Columnist Hikmet Bila writes about the current situation of
US forces in Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:
“In a challenging statement shortly after the US fell prey
to the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush vowed, ‘We will
rid the world of the evil-doers,’ and warned, ‘This crusade,
this war on terrorism is going to take awhile. And the
American people must be patient.’ This is how all it began,
first in Afghanistan, and now in Iraq. The US was so
determined to impose an ‘order’ on the Middle East. Yet, at
the same time, the Bush administration failed utterly to learn
any lessons from history.
After World War II, the US took over the reins of the
Middle East from Britain, but it couldn’t escape making a
grave mistake similar to that committed by its predecessor
during World War I. In a bid to carve the modern Middle East
out of the Ottoman Empire, the British thought this would be a
piece of cake, as they would easily buy a leading Muslim
figure and name him as caliph. And all Muslims, the British
believed, would rebel against the Ottomans under the
leadership of this caliph, and then the rest would fall into
line. But things didn’t go as planned, for Britain failed to
recognize that Islam had no homogenous unity within itself,
with its numerous tribes and sects – such as the Sunnis,
Shiites and Assyrians – often clashing against one another.
What’s more, these tribes were bargaining with the Ottoman
Empire and Germany at the same time they were cooperating with
Britain.
And 90 years later, the US is now bogged down in the same
swamp. Bush’s war planners seem unable to foresee the
consequences of stirring up a hornet’s nest. It has been over
four months since Bush officially announced the end of the
Iraq war on May 1, but the US has yet to establish order and
security in the country. Quite the contrary, with each passing
day the US forces are being dragged further into a trap in
this ethnic, religious jungle. Even the Shiites, who stayed
silent on the US invasion during the war, are now voicing
their anger at the occupation forces.
Senior US officials such as Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Myers
have one after another confessed either openly or tacitly that
some key assumptions underlying the US occupation of Iraq were
wrong, and that their prewar occupation plans have turned out
to underestimate the problems they would face.
The US is failing in Iraq. And I wonder when the Bush
administration will come to realize that pursuing misguided
policies, just like Britain once did, will lead to nowhere,
and so end this nonsense.”
