Milliyet, Turkey
March 8 2009

Obama’s visit to thaw in relations with Israel

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton crowned her visit to Ankara
yesterday with her statement that US President Barack Obama would
visit Turkey almost one month later. Obama’s planned visit indicates
that the new administration in Washington and the AKP [Justice and
Development Party] have reached a general understanding and accord
about issues of mutual interest irrespective of the fact that Obama
will visit Turkey during a tour covering Europe and the Middle
East. But, indications that "Davos ice" has started to thaw were the
main factor which prepared the ground for the visit.

Remove those placards!

Hillary Clinton said that the final decision about the visit was made
in Washington on Friday. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan met with Tzipi
Livni, his Israeli counterpart, in Brussels where he was attending a
meeting of NATO foreign ministers. The meeting was intended to put
bilateral relations which have been derailed as a result of the
incident witnessed in Davos back on track. Thus, the diplomats of both
countries made the same comments by using carefully selected words:
bilateral relations were important, they had a strategic character,
and they were based on a solid foundation.

You can be sure that Obama’s visit to Turkey would not have been
announced if those statements reflecting a common stance had not been
made on last Thursday in a bid to mend bilateral relations which were
almost ruptured after the Davos incident. It is as simple as that.

A logical step has been taken in order to mend Turkish-Israeli
relations. Fortunately, those steps aimed at normalizing bilateral
ties were not postponed until after the local elections to be held on
29 March in a bid to achieve some trivial goals.

Now, they should remove those placards which read "Erdogan, the
conqueror of Davos" because it has become clear that the stand taken
in Davos cannot be maintained.

It is certain that he will not utter the word "genocide"

The joint statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Minister and his US
counterpart emphasized that the two countries were determined to
cooperate with regard to various issues, including the settlement of
the Palestinian question based on the existence of two states, energy
security, alternative energy routes, settlement of the Cyprus question
under the aegis of the United Nations, and lifting the current
embargoes imposed on Turkish Cypriots in that context.

A tacit reciprocity was ensured by emphasizing that Al-Qa’idah and the
PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] were "common enemies" in the fight on
terrorism. Interestingly, it was noted that the United States was
considering how it could provide further support against the PKK in
addition to intelligence support which it promised to continue.

The joint communique also said that the United States was supporting
efforts aimed at normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia.

It was announced that Obama would visit Turkey within the next thirty
days and this announcement implied that the US President would not
utter the word "genocide" in a speech he will make on 24 April. It
would be illogical to think that the US President who plans to use the
word "genocide" would pay a visit to Turkey. Thus, the "imminent
threat" to Turkish-American relations has been partly eliminated.

Emphasis laid on secularism and reforms

The joint communique stated that the United States was giving support
to Turkey’s accession to the EU and its reform process. It was as
interesting as remarks made by Clinton during her joint news
conference with Babacan. She listed common values shared by the two
countries as "democracy, a secular constitution, religious freedoms,
confidence in free market, and global responsibility."

This list also represents the moral ground of the bilateral relations
from the standpoint of the Obama Administration. You can add the
"annual report on human rights" issued by the US State Department
which was ignored by the pro-AKP media because it drew attention to
the rapid deterioration in Turkey to the list.

In that case, you will see that cooperation between the Obama
Administration and the AKP government cannot be squeezed into a simple
"given-and-take" relationship.

I hope that Obama’s anticipated visit will contribute to the revival
of our commitment to join the EU which we are inclined to neglect as a
result of the choice made by the ruling party.

[translated from Turkish]