MEETING IN ROME
BY CUNEYT ULSEVER (HURRIYET)
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, currently in
Budapest for an official visit, met
yesterday with Hungarian President Laszlo
Solyom to discuss a number of issues,
including bilateral relations. Speaking
afterwards, Sezer said that he was pleased
to visit Hungary and that he appreciated the
hospitality of the country. Saying that
there were strong, historic ties between the
two countries, Sezer added these flawless
relations helped to boost bilateral
cooperation in all areas. For his part,
Solyom stated that Hungary supported
Turkey’s European Union membership bid.
Saying that Sezer had briefed him on the
Cyprus issue, Solyom stressed that Hungary
supported reunification efforts on the
island. /Turkiye/
Speaking to reporters while
vacationing on Ekinlik Island, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday
that the recent conflict in the Mideast had
started after Israel killed seven
Palestinian children, adding that Israel
should sit at the negotiating table with
Palestine and Lebanon. Erdogan said that
Israel was using disproportionate force,
adding that it should stop doing so.
Commenting on recent terrorist attacks,
Erdogan said that NATO should intervene in
northern Iraq against these attacks.
/Milliyet/
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will today
attend an international conference in Rome
on the Middle East crisis. Gul is expected
to underline the urgent need for an
Israel-Lebanon cease-fire to prevent a more
serious and widespread problem, and he will
stress that international intervention
should not be discussed until after the
cease-fire. Gul will also have bilateral
talks with US Secretary of State Condolezza
Rice and other foreign counterparts
attending the summit. During his talk with
Rice, Gul will reiterate Turkey’s requests
from the US to step up the fight against the
PKK. /Hurriyet/
Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani said
yesterday that they wouldn’t let the
terrorist group PKK take shelter in Iraq,
adding, however, that if Turkey intervenes
in northern Iraq, he would consider this an
attack. Holding contacts in Sulaimaniyah,
Barzani said that he had expressed time and
again that he didn’t want northern Iraq to
be used for terrorist attacks against
neighboring countries, and added, “But if a
country intervenes in the region, we’ll
defend ourselves.” Iraqi Kurdish leader
Jalal Talabani said on Monday that they
wouldn’t let Turkey conduct a cross-border
operation in northern Iraq. /Cumhuriyet/
Speaking in Samsun yesterday, opposition
Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) leader Erkan
Mumcu condemned Israel’s bombings of
Lebanon, branding them “barbarous.” Mumcu
further stated that a strong country was
needed to ensure peace in the region, and
this country could be Turkey. He added that
due to the government’s “clumsy policies,”
Turkey is currently unable to help Lebanon.
“We‘re just watching these bombings,” said
Mumcu. /Star/
An Israeli naval vessel fired a warning
shot Monday night at a Turkish ferry en
route to Beirut to pick up Australian
nationals trying to flee Lebanon, said
Turkish Transportation Minister Binyali
Yildirim yesterday. “Last night the Akcakoca
ferry was sailing from Gazimagosa (in
Northern Cyprus) to Beirut when it was
stopped by an Israeli naval vessel,” said
Yildirim. “It waited until morning, and
after efforts by the Australian Embassy, the
Turkish Foreign Ministry and the
Transportation Ministry, the problem was
overcome and the ferry returned to
Gazimagosa.” The incident was confirmed by
Australian Ambassador to Ankara Jean Dunn,
who said none of the 13 crew was hurt. “This
was a communications issue, and the Israeli
naval vessel fired a warning shot.” said
Dunn. /Sabah/
Columnist Cuneyt Ulsever comments on the
meeting on the Mideast crisis to be held in
Rome today. A summary of his column is as
follows:
“An important meeting will be held today in
Rome about Israel’s operation in Lebanon.
The US, Russia, Britain, France, Germany,
Finland, Spain, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi
Arabia will be represented on the foreign
ministerial level, and Lebanon will be
represented on the prime ministerial level
during the conference hosted by Italy. The
UN secretary-general and the World Bank head
are also expected to attend the conference.
Turkey will also attend it with Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul representing us. I
think that the war in Lebanon may give
Turkey the opportunity to regain some of the
influence that it lost due to its rejection
of the deployment of US soldiers before the
Iraq invasion in March 2003. My basic
paradigm is based on the belief that the
world will be remade with ugly wars in the
21st century and if Turkey can play active
roles in these inevitable and unstoppable
wars, it can be an influential country in
this new century. So I don’t understand why
It both suggested a cross-border operation
against the PKK and then condemned Israel’s
attacks on Lebanon. It both rejected the
deployment of US soldiers before the Iraq
invasion and then got angry that the Kurds
in northern Iraq just because they oppose
our cross-border operation.
My perception of the international order is
based on the assumption that each country
protects its own interests in line with its
power and that peace can be ensured in such
an atmosphere when interests coincide with
each other. The basic engine of
international relations is based on a
give-and-take policy. According to this,
Turkey should give something to the Middle
East so it can take something from the
Middle East. If the leaders in Rome decide
to send a UN peacekeeping force to Lebanon
and Turkey participates in this, we will
gain influence in the Middle East and can
relax in terms of many issues, including the
PKK. I also think that Turkey’s interests in
the Middle East will conflict with Iran in
the long term and such paramilitary powers
as Hizbullah should be weakened before the
‘great conflict.’ Such paramilitary powers
in the Middle East are against northern
Iraq, and thus Turkey and northern Iraq can
cooperate with each other. I wonder what
will be decided in Rome.”
