--- Begin Message ---
01-10-01
US Team Hails Turkey as Special Friend in Mideast
By Claudia Parsons
ANKARA (Reuters) - The head of a senior delegation of U.S. congressmen
on Monday described Turkey as the ``shining crown jewel'' in a
tumultuous region and said Washington had not always done enough
to support such a close ally.
Republican congressman Curt Weldon led an 11-member U.S. team that
visited Ankara at the end of a trip that also took in Moscow and
Rome to discuss the U.S. response to the September 11 hijack suicide
attacks that left some 7,000 dead or missing.
``Turkey has been there for us very loyally and America has not
always responded at the level of friendship that we should,'' he
told reporters after meeting foreign ministry officials in Ankara.
He said Turkey had around $5 billion outstanding debt for military
supplies, but Washington should take into account that Turkey had
lost around $30 billion in exports because of sanctions on its
neighbor Iraq since the Gulf War.
``Perhaps it's time for us to review that debt,'' said Weldon, who
sits on the House Armed Services Committee. ``We're going to go
back and think about that.''
Turkey maintains the second-biggest standing army in NATO. It hosts
a large U.S. military presence on its soil and allows U.S. and
British jets to use its Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey to
patrol a no-fly zone over northern Iraq, to the consternation of
Baghdad.
HELP NEEDED IN FINANCIAL CRISIS
Turkey has pledged to cooperate with any U.S. retaliation for the
attacks on New York and Washington, and its strategic location in
the Middle East could mean it plays a key role.
Weldon, who met the former king of Afghanistan in Rome on Sunday
to discuss forging a broad alliance against the Taliban regime in
Kabul, said Turkey had shared information on Afghanistan and on
its own efforts to combat terrorism.
``Turkey is a very special nation in a very difficult part of the
world,'' Weldon said.
``Turkey gets along with everyone. It's an amazing accomplishment
that Turkey can be such a successful and thriving country in the
midst of turmoil,'' he said.
``It's like a shining crown jewel in the region.''
The words bode well for Turkey at a time of acute financial
difficulty.
It is struggling to overcome a devastating financial crisis in
February that forced Ankara to float the lira and seek rescue loans
from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank amounting to
$15.7 billion this year.
``We came to Turkey because we feel that Turkey has not been given
the pre-eminent role that it should be given in American foreign
policy,'' Weldon said.
``We're going to go back and change that,'' he said, adding that
Turkey could play a particularly important role in humanitarian
aid for Afghanistan.
``The whole process that the King outlined for us in Rome is a
process that we feel can work if America and the rest of the free
world takes account of the plight of the Afghan people... This is
not a war against the Afghan people.''
Turkey has already been active in sharing intelligence with the
United States.
Congressman Solomon Ortiz, the senior Democrat on the delegation,
also emphasized that Turkey was a ``special friend.'' He said the
delegation would report back to U.S. President George Bush on their
talks.
[Reuters]
-----------------
ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Following Sunday's reports that the U.S. might
not be allowed to launch strikes from Saudi Arabia, Turkey will
likely be asked to become a more critical partner and a pivotal
player in the war on terrorism.
The only country with borders in Europe, Asia and the Middle East,
Turkey has long been a valuable ally. But diplomats and officials
say a variety of factors now make it the perfect foundation for
U.S. support in the Muslim world, and a potential base of military
operations.
To read more about Turkey's battle against terror, click here.
Less optimistic Turks note that several factors prevent them from
playing a prominent role in the coalition. The economy is in crisis,
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's government is judged by many to be
weak and passive, and powerful Islamic groups have warned against
becoming too involved.
Nonetheless, Turkey is the only Muslim member of NATO -- a source
of considerable pride here. Turkey also has the second-largest army
in NATO, runs an extensive intelligence operation in the region
and operates a wide network of well-kept military bases.
Many average Turks want to help the U.S. effort.
"We know the pain of terrorism, and what they lost," said Orhan,
a newspaper vendor in Istanbul's Taksim Square who was eager to
share his opinions with a reporter. "These are fanatics, not Muslims.
They must be stopped."
While Turkey has yet to publicly grant the U.S. unlimited use of
their air bases, there's no doubt the Bush administration's
intensifying interest makes that a possibility.
<http://www.foxnews.com/images/clear_dot.gif> [AP]
<http://www.foxnews.com/images/clear_dot.gif> AP
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem last week met in Washington
with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. He even
chatted a few minutes with Vice President Dick Cheney.
The next day, Turkey's all-powerful National Security Council ruled
it would offer the U.S. "every required support" in the fight
against terrorism.
Turkey's recent history certainly makes it a natural ally in the
anti-terrorism campaign. More than 30,000 have been killed in
Turkey's 17-year war with the Kurdistan Workers' Party(known by
the initials PKK), and struggles against some 40 other groups
continue.
"Turks have experienced the pain of terrorism as much as anyone in
the alliance," noted an official in Turkey from a NATO country.
"They are eager to demonstrate their resolve."
Turkey also has a unique bilateral relationship with the United
States, a fact that became clear in the days after the Sept. 11
attacks. The U.S.-Turkish bond is fueled not only by strong common
interests, but by both countries' sometimes prickly relations with
Western Europe.
"From issues like human rights to trade to the role of the military
in foreign affairs, the Europeans can be even more arrogant with
the Turks than they are with the U.S.," said one diplomat.
That opinion is widely shared by average Turks.
"The U.S. was with us in our war against terror while the Europeans
invited our enemies for tea. It's time to return the favor," said
a shoe salesman in Istanbul's Beyoglu district.
Turkey also serves as a valuable example to the moderate Muslim
world of a country that can be both Islamic and pro-Western. The
Turks have already used that leverage to build support for the
anti-terrorism campaign among the Central Asian republics of
Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, all of which speak Turkic
languages.
Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer last week also called Egyptian
leader Hosni Mubarak to discuss the crisis. Turkish officials
privately admitted, however, they will likely have limited influence
on the Arab states, many of whom view their non-Arab religious
brethren as too pro-Western and not attentive enough to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
But Turkey does have a special relationship with Pakistani President
Pervez Musharraf, whose support for the U.S. effort is also critical.
Musharraf lived in Turkey for several years durinouth, speaks fluent
Turkish and has a picture of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern
Turkey, hanging in his office.
Still, Turkey's problems should not be overlooked.
Many Turks worry they will become the target of Usama bin Laden's
terrorist Al Qaeda network if U.S. attacks are based here. Turkey
still struggles against the PKK, and Turks dread a return to more
violent times.
The secular government coalition of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit
also faces a continued and significant challenge from pro-Islamic
groups, some of whom have already warned against Turkey's involvement
in the coming campaign.
Religious newspapers have railed against Turkey's expected involvement
in the coming crisis, trumpeting headlines like "There's No Will
-- and No Way." But even the Islamists have been careful in their
criticism.
Most religious Turks are far more nationalistic than their Arab
and Central Asian counterparts. The concept of the Turkish nation
is a very strong one, and at least for now criticism of a war on
terrorism could be translated as support for any of Turkey's 40
terrorist groups.
Turkey's biggest challenge will likely be an economic one. The
country is trying desperately to recover from a staggering currency
crisis earlier this year that devastated millions of families and
thousands of businesses.
Turks also remember the estimated $3 billion they lost as a result
of sanctions on Iraq imposed during the Gulf War.
Despite those obstacles, Ecevit said in a television interview on
Sunday that Turkey had a long-term commitment to the war on terror.
Groups like the Taliban "aim to export its regime" to other Central
Asian states, he said, posing a major threat to Turkey.
With Turkey's economic revival betting on a boom in business with
countries such as Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, that's
not something Ecevit and the leadership here can allow to happen.
-- Press Agency Ozgurluk Uncencored news about the liberation
struggle in Turkey http://www.ozgurluk.org
--- End Message ---
