TURKISH FM’S VISITS ISRAEL AT A DELICATE TIME IN ANKARA-JERUSALEM RELATIONS
By Gil Zohar
European Jewish Press, Belgium
Oct 11 2007
JERUSALEM (EJP)—Turkey’s new Foreign Minister Ali Babacan met earlier
this week with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for wide-ranging
discussions on regional and bilateral issues.
Israel and Turkey have traditionally enjoyed strong political and
economic ties.
But that alliance has been strained recently: the talks between
Babacan and Olmert were held in the context of the Israel Air Force’s
September 6 attack on a Syrian military facility which may have been
intended to process North Korean plutonium.
That attack involved an IAF flyover over Turkish territory.
As well, Ankara is concerned that Jerusalem may change its position
against recognizing the death of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman
empire during World War I as genocide.
That issue is both a matter of Turkish national pride and a stumbling
block in Turkey’s stalled bid to join the European Union.
The talks between Babacan and Olmert came on the eve of a crucial vote
Wednesday in the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee
to label the Ottoman massacre of Armenians as genocide.
Resolution adopted
To cheers and applause from emotional Armenians, including elderly
wheelchair-bound survivors, the committee voted for the resolution
by 27 votes to 21.
The US State Department has expressed regret and said it hoped the
move would not interfere with relations with Turkey.
"We regret that the House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved House
Resolution 106," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in
a statement. "The administration continues strongly to oppose this
resolution, passage of which may do grave harm to US-Turkish relations
and to US interests in Europe and the Middle East," McCormack said.
The vote outraged the Turkish government, which issued a statement
Thursday stating the "irresponsible" resolution was likely to endanger
bilateral relations.
"We still hope that the House of Representatives will have enough
good sense not to take this resolution further," said the statement.
To do so, it added, would jeopardize a strategic partnership with an
ally and friend and would be an "irresponsible attitude", it added.
"It is unacceptable that the Turkish nation should be accused of a
crime that it never committed in its history."
Turkey views Israel as having crucial influence on US foreign policy,
and is seeking to have Jerusalem pressure Washington not to enact
the Armenian genocide bill in Congress.
But in August, an American Jewish advocacy group, the Anti-Defamation
League (ADL), shocked the Turkish authorities when it recognized the
World War I-era killings of Armenians as genocide.
In his talks with Olmert, Babacan said that there is a profound
solidarity between Turkey and Israel both of which suffer from
terrorist attacks.
The two leaders reviewed the expanding economic relations between
the countries in the fields of industry, tourism and infrastructure.
Prime Minister Olmert noted the importance of Turkey’s involvement in
the upcoming international meeting to be held in the US and emphasized
that the participation of moderate Arab and Islamic countries, which
openly express their support for the advancement of the bilateral
negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, would greatly
contribute to its success.
He also noted that the meeting is not in place of direct negotiations
between Israel and the Palestinians but is an open show of support
for reaching an agreement via dialogue between the sides.
As is customary for all foreign politicians visiting Israel, Babacan
began his visit with a tour of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in
Jerusalem, where he laid a wreath.
Babacan was appointed Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs on August 29
in the new cabinet of re-elected Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He succeeded Abdullah Gul, who became president of Turkey. Babacan
also continues to be the chief negotiator of Turkey’s membership of
the European Union.
Babacan was previously State Minister for Economy in the 58th cabinet
from the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which came to power in
November 2002.