Turkish PM Erdogan carries out first duty as Mideast ‘mediator’
By Zeynep Gurcanli
The New Anatolian, Turkey
May 5 2005
The first request from Israeli leaders to the Turkish prime minister
is to tell the Palestinian side: Hamas militants should disarm before
participating in elections. Erdogan conveyed the message
The Palestinian’s reaction to Erdogan’s mediation is positive.
Palestinian forces arrested three Hamas activists in the Gaza Strip,
seizing their weapons and homemade rockets hours after Erdogan’s visit
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main aim during his
two-day visit to Israel and Palestine was to offer his government’s
services as a mediator between the two countries. He performed his
first duty to this effect during the visit.
Erdogan told both Palestinian and Israeli leaders that Turkey is
willing to assume a role as a peace broker between the countries.
During the joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon on Sunday, Erdogan said, “We, the Turks, are meant to mediate.”
Responding to Erdogan’s message, the Israeli leaders asked the
Turkish prime minister to convey a message to the Palestinian side.
According to Israeli and Turkish sources, the message was clear:
“Hamas militants should disarm before they participate in the upcoming
Palestinian parliamentary elections.”
Positive response from Palestinians
Erdogan conveyed the Israeli’s message to Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas on the second day of his Middle East tour.
The initial response from the Palestinian side was positive.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that their ultimate goal
is to disarm Hamas, but called it a process not an act. Israel’s
latest demand, Erekat said, is a pretext for not moving ahead with
the roadmap to peace.
In a concrete step to show the Palestinian government’s determination
to disarm Hamas, Palestinian security forces late Monday arrested
three Hamas activists in the Gaza Strip, seizing their weapons and
homemade rockets they found in the trunk of their car.
In recent months, Hamas has gradually increased its political
participation, competing in several rounds of local elections held
in the West Bank and Gaza. The parliamentary elections pose the
biggest test for the group, and pollsters say that Hamas candidates
are expected to do well.
Erdogan: Palestinians shouldn’t be left in ‘an open prison’
Erdogan said on yesterday that Turkey will actively lobby for a
solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, stressing that the
Palestinians shouldn’t be sealed up in what he called “an open prison.”
In a statement made a day after returning from his trip to Israel
and the West Bank, Erdogan said Turkey was ready to use its close
ties with both Israel and the Palestine to help mediate a peace deal.
“Palestine, which looks as if it’s an open prison, should not be left
like this,” Erdogan said in an address to lawmakers from his Justice
and Development Party (AK) Party.
Erdogan said Turkey would actively lobby for a solution. “What kind
of situation is a country in when its communication to the outside
world is restricted by all kinds of embargoes?” Erdogan asked. “Who
is going to take initiative on this if we don’t?”
“We have to exert efforts at the United Nations and with
other countries. If we don’t do this, we can’t escape from our
responsibility, we can’t escape from our responsibility toward
humanity. That’s why we have to take these steps.”
‘Nobody can accuses us of selling the country’
Last week, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Kemal
Kilicdaroglu criticized the government’s policies on privatization,
accusing them of “betraying” and “selling” Turkey. Erdogan replied to
the criticisms forcefully, saying, “Nobody can accuse the government
of selling this country.” He also asked the CHP to apologize for
this claim.
“Nobody should dare to make such disparaging accusations, which
contradict the lawfulness and decency of the ruling party of this
country,” he said.
Erdogan said that their focus on foreign politics is aimed to raise
Turkey to the status of a global power. He also broached the Cyprus
issue and Turkey’s historical problems, such as the so-called Armenian
genocide, by saying that the government was choosing successful
policies.
“A member of the main opposition recently made a hideous comment in
Parliament,” Erdogan fulminated. “A lawsuit against this member is in
motion. No one has the right to use judicially and morally improper
words against this country’s ruling party. The AK Party cannot remain
silent against an allegation that we are ‘betraying the country.’ The
CHP should review and evaluate its positions. The AK Party expects an
apology from that CHP member if he’s one of the sons of this country.
Turkey’s former political status has been dramatically reformed by this
government. The changes we have brought about in Turkey are obvious.”