Arinc’s Washington Visit
By ALI H. ASLAN
06.02.2005 Thursday – ISTANBUL 22:54
Zaman, Turkey
June 2 2005
A visit by Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc to Washington,
before Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rendezvous with
President Bush next week, was first received with a little caution
among circles which consider the improvement of Turkish-American
relations important. We even heard rumors that Prime Minister Erdogan
and Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul were not thrilled about
this visit. But worriers can be at ease, because Arinc’s engagements
last week were quite successful and contributed to the Washington
landing of the Justice and Development Party (JDP) administration,
which seems willing to renew the friendship with the US.
Before the visit, the question, “What kind of a welcome would the
Speaker of a Parliament that rejected the deployment motion get from
Washington?” was crossing the minds of many. First of all, Arinc
receiving an invitation from his American counterpart, House Speaker
Dennis Hastert, showed the determination of the American side to
focus on the dimensions of positive relations, from now on. Moreover,
without waiting for Arinc to defend the Turkish Parliament’s decision
against the motion, Hastert made a nice gesture by saying that
the differences of approach between the legislative and executive
bodies should be considered as normal in democracies. Another sign of
respect and goodwill was that Hastert, the No. 3 man in the official
US hierarchy, had a long meeting with Arinc that lasted for an hour.
These were not the only nice gestures. The real surprise came at the
White House. Vice President Richard Cheney took part in Arinc’s meeting
with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. It is a tradition in the
White House for superiors to step into the room and say “welcome” as a
gesture and chat for a few minutes when valued guests are there. But,
as if this gesture was not enough, Cheney participated in the greater
part of the 45-minute talk.
>>From what Arinc told us at the press conference, we understand
there were no different topics of discussion on the agenda other
than what we already know and no progress was made on the disputed
issues. But high-level dialogues, especially if they are held in a
warm and constructive atmosphere, are generally useful. Hence, Turkish
diplomats, including Turkey’s Ambassador to Washington Faruk Lologlu,
all had smiling faces.
It was a very wise thing on the part of Arinc to have brought one of
the best simultaneous translators in Turkey along with him. Moreover,
his clear talk with a soft tone, decorated with cheerful jokes, left
a positive impression on even listeners who do not know Turkish.
Besides, straightforwardness and honesty are virtues even enemies
would appreciate. I hope, as a result of this performance by Arinc
in Washington, some circles that see or try to portray JDP leaders
as fundamentalist monsters have learned their lessons as well.
Surely, the content of a dialogue at least is as important as its
style. One of my American friends, whom I asked how he liked the speech
Arinc made at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
and the Q&A session, responded, “Not bad,” adding, “Looks like they got
the message particularly about the support for the democratic reforms
in the region.” Within the circles I am in contact with, Arinc’s
presentation was described as more successful than that of Foreign
Ministry Undersecretary Ambassador Ali Tuygan. A US administration
official told me that they very much appreciated Arinc choosing a
position in favor of the freedom of speech and thought, regarding
the controversial Armenian Conference at the Bogazici University.
So, why was there so much interest in Arinc in Washington? Is he
well liked? Or are American-Turkish relations, which were problematic
until yesterday, back on track? The answer to the questions above is
“No.” The Washington administration would have contradicted itself if
it had not shown the necessary respect to the Parliament Speaker of
Turkey, which is one of the most democratic states within the Islamic
world, when they have declared that they have launched a campaign
for freedom and democracy in the world and are pursuing an urgent
reform policy in our region. Moreover, the Grand National Assembly of
Turkey is an institution, which has proven its commitment to Turkey’s
European Union (EU) membership process, one of the most important
strategic goals of the US, by enacting a record number of reform bills.
Americans would like to open a new chapter in ties with Turkey by
leaving aside the deep disappointment and resentment as a result
of March 1 motion period, in which they could not match Ankara in
terms of administrative style or outcome, and the rhetoric from the
government’s and Parliament’s most authoritative mouthpieces, which
escalated the anti-Americanism among the public, in short, attitudes
they were not expecting from a friend and ally. They seem pleased with
the recent public statements from the government, which highlight the
importance of Turkish-American relations, Incirlik Base permission,
goodwill gestures like the Lockheed Martin bid and attempts to increase
dialogue. However, they think that there wasn’t enough time to narrate
these positive developments to prove continuity. In short, they have
the view that more time is needed for relations to fully recover.
In this context, Arinc’s visit was helpful. If the bilaterals of
the executive body also go well next week, and the will to hold
friendship and cooperation tight perseveres, we might look to the
future of Turkish-American relations with a little bit more hope…