Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Aug 25 2008
Turks dislike Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as running mate
A considerable number of Turkish daily newspapers yesterday covered US
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s selection of Senator
Joe Biden as a running mate, with headlines expressing displeasure at
Obama’s choice.
The Associated Press (AP) commented that Obama’s selection of Biden
was designed to blunt criticism from Republican John McCain, who was
drawing virtually even in the polls by attacking the Illinois senator
as an inexperienced elitist not ready for the White House.
"Biden, who is 65, was clearly chosen over lesser-known Democrats to
plug holes in Obama’s relatively thin resume on the national political
scene and to blunt McCain’s relentless attacks on his lack of
experience at a time when the United States is fighting two wars.
While polls show voters are most concerned about the country’s wobbly
economy — home mortgage foreclosures, high fuel costs and growing
unemployment — McCain’s appeal appears to be growing out of the
lingering shock to Americans’ sense of security from the Sept. 11,
2001, terror attacks. McCain called Biden a ‘wise selection.’ But
McCain indicated that he believed there was still plenty to
criticize," AP also reported.
In Turkey, the Sunday editions of newspapers covering Obama’s
selection focused on Biden’s policies related to Turkey and a
considerable part of which are not in line with those of Ankara.
"[Obama] made ‘inconsiderate’ Biden his right-hand man,"
Hürriyet said on its front page, reminding readers of a 1999
conversation between Biden, who is close to both Greek and Armenian
lobbies, and late Bülent Ecevit, then prime minister of Turkey.
"If you do not solve the Cyprus problem, then I will not approve the
financial aid package of $5 billion which you expect from us, from the
Congress," Biden was then reported to have told Ecevit in a bid to put
pressure on the Turkish government.
Ecevit, in response, was reported to have emphasized the Turkish
Cypriots’ concerns and rights, while pointing out that they had
reached an agreement with then-President Bill Clinton that "there will
be no going back to the period before 1974 as far as safety and
security are concerned."
Hürriyet said following the conversation between Biden and
Ecevit, Turkish media labeled the US politician as "inconsiderate."
Biden’s call two years ago to divide Iraq into autonomous regions
along sectarian and ethnic lines was another factor highlighted by the
Turkish media. The call completely contradicted Ankara’s firm policy
focusing on protection of territorial integrity and political unity of
the neighboring country.
Biden proposed in a 2006 op-ed article in The New York Times that Iraq
should be divided into separate Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni regions to
defuse the wave of sectarian violence sweeping the country then. In
the 2006 article, Biden and co-author Leslie Gelb said the proposal
was aimed at maintaining "a united Iraq by decentralizing it" so that
each major sectarian and ethnic group would have "room to run its own
affairs." Nevertheless, Iraq has a long history as a centralized
state, and concepts such as federalism and regional autonomy have
proven a hard sell, as AP noted.
"Separatist partner for Obama," Star daily said in its title,
referring to Biden’s call for division of Iraq, while it also reminded
its readers of the fact that Biden has been a keen supporter of
Armenian lobby efforts at the US Congress for official recognition of
the killings of Anatolian Armenians during the early 20th century as
"genocide."
"Obama’s right-hand man had divided Iraq into three," Yeni
Å?afak daily said, also referring to Biden’s proposal for
dividing Iraq. Milliyet, meanwhile, covered Obama’s choice of Biden
with a headline saying "Obama chose Greek Cypriot-Armenian lobbyists."
In first months of the 2007, following the killing of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink in January, a sentence in a preliminary draft
drawn up by Biden, chairman of Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee,
said, "Mr. Dink underwent prosecution under Article 301 of the Turkish
Criminal Code, as he spoke about the Armenian genocide." Following an
objection by Republican Richard Lugar, the sentence was changed to
"Legal measures were taken about Mr. Dink, as he regarded the events
that happened in 1915 as genocide."
Armenia says some 1.5 million Armenians suffered genocide at Ottoman
Turkish hands, but Turkey denies systematic genocide of Armenians took
place, saying large numbers of Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks
died in inter-ethnic fighting during World War I.
Retired Ambassador Nüzhet Kandemir, speaking with Milliyet,
said, "Biden has so far been involved in all kinds of movements which
are against Turkey," and that "Biden’s anti-Turkey manner has
ossified," apparently hinting that Biden’s attitude would not change
even when he takes on responsibilities as vice president. Biden was
among a delegation of US senators who visited Ankara in February this
year, when they also met with both President Abdullah Gül and
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an.
Then, Biden, along with John Kerry and Chuck Hagel, spoke with
Gül and ErdoÄ?an, praising both the relations between
their country and Turkey and Ankara’s support in restive parts of the
world such as Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Their visit to Ankara was part of a tour that included stops in India
and Pakistan. Speaking to reporters after a one-hour meeting with
ErdoÄ?an, Biden then said Turkey and the United States shared
strategic interests and objectives.
KınıklÄ&#x B1;oÄ?lu planning to hold talks with
McCain, Obama consultants
Amid concerns within domestic public opinion over US Democratic
presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama’s selection of Senate
colleague Joe Biden as his running mate since Biden is well known for
his policies that run against the interests of Ankara, a leading
deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is
considering visiting the United States in October.
Suat KınıklıoÄ?lu , the AK Party’s
Ã?ankırı deputy, told Today’s Zaman yesterday that
he has been planning to meet with figures from both the campaigns of
Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain and Obama when
he travels to the United States in October.
"I must say that I’m surprised with Obama’s selection of Biden. It is
not easy to be happy with this selection when looking from Turkey and
considering Biden’s almost two-decade-long firm support of the
Armenian disapora’s efforts for recognition of their allegations of a
genocide," KınıklıoÄ?lu , who was head of
the German Marshall Fund’s Turkey office before being elected to
Parliament in July 2007, said when reminded of the fact that a
considerable number of Turkish daily newspapers yesterday disapproved
of Obama’s selection of Biden as a running mate. "The only thing we
can do now as citizens of Turkey is to wish Obama and Biden luck,
although this combination is not very hope-inspiring from Turkey’s
perspective. However, the most important duty for nongovernmental
organizations and the media as well as politicians is to thoroughly
inform the Obama camp about Turkey’s policies and understanding on
certain issues. We should engage both the McCain and Obama camps
before one of them is elected, not after the election is over,"
KınıklÄ 1;oÄ?lu said.
"I believe domestic public opinion will follow McCain’s strategies
during the electioneering more closely than before given the
disappointment over Biden’s selection," he, nonetheless, added. Emine
Kart Ankara
25 August 2008, Monday
TODAY’S ZAMAN ANKARA