US PRESIDENT SCORES A HIT IN TURKEY
By George S. Hihsmeh

Gulf News
April 10 2009
United Arab Emirates

Barrack Hussain Obama hit the jackpot during his visit to Turkey
when he was introduced with stress on his rarely used middle name to
the Turkish Parliament, and assured the legislators that the United
States is not at war with Islam.

Obama also praised Turkey’s recently acquired role serving as a
much-needed bridge for feuding Middle Eastern nations in a gesture that
contrasted sharply with the approach of the former Bush administration.

"The United States has been enriched by Muslim-Americans," Obama told
the parliamentarians in Ankara. "Many other Americans have Muslims
in their family, or have lived in a Muslim-majority country."

"I know," he continued, "because I am one of them."

As soon as the interpreter translated these lines, a loud applause
followed.

Also, in a straight-forward response to a student at a town hall
meeting in Istanbul, the visiting American president was very clear
about his support for a Palestinian state, only days after the new
hawkish Israeli government took office without committing itself to
a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The American president told the students:

"I believe that peace in the Middle East is possible. I think it will
be based on two states, side by side: a Palestinian state and a Jewish
state. I think in order to achieve that, both sides are going to have
to make compromises.

"I think we have a sense of what those compromises should be and will
be. Now what we need is political will and courage on the part of
leadership. And it is not the United States’ role or Turkey’s role
to tell people what they have to do, but we can be good friends in
encouraging them to move the dialogue forward."

These comforting words must be deafening to the naysayers, but there
are some who still need more convincing, if not action. A commentator
in the leading Arabic daily Al Hayat said that he has yet to see an
"indication of [the] great change" in US policy. "Many of the policies
remain the same, even if [they were described] in a milder form to
the Turkish Parliament and with the use of more polite language."

Obama’s visit to Turkey, his first as president to a predominantly
Muslim state, was seen as an attempt to bestow a seal of approval on
the country’s distinctive policies. Some believe Turkey’s newfound
regional role came about as a reaction to the procrastination
within the European Union (EU) on the issue of the country’s push
for membership.

Consequently, Turkey’s able prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
underlined his government’s singular role as a matchmaker in the region
when he brokered secret negotiations between Israel and Syria. This
suggested that the political climate within Turkey has become more
sympathetic to its neighbours and increasingly critical of Washington.

But these behind-the-scenes talks were nixed when the Israeli army
unexpectedly invaded the Gaza Strip earlier this year. Although Turkey
took a strong stand against Israel after the invasion, with Erdogan
walking out of the Davos conference after he confronted Israeli
President Shimon Peres over the killing in Gaza, the relationship
between the two countries survived.

Similarly, Turkish President Abdullah Gul has been involved in reaching
out to Turkey’s neighbours – Iraq, Iran and even Armenia – at one
point reportedly carrying a message from US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton to the Iranian leaders within 48 hours of her visit to Ankara.

In recognition of Turkey’s growing importance in the region and its
secular democratic structure, Obama came out in strong support of
its membership in the EU, in spite of the opposition from France and
Germany. Moreover, the US president was careful not to add fuel to
the fire when he spoke about the Armenian genocide in 1915, a touchy
subject in Turkey, pointing out only that both Turkey and Armenia are
now reviewing the historical record on the subject. During his election
campaign, Obama had pledged to recognise the Armenian genocide.

Obama is also aware that Turkey is the second largest contributor of
troops to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Furthermore, the
American air base at Incirlik provides crucial logistic support for US
troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite Turkey’s earlier opposition to
opening its territory up to American troops who planned to invade Iraq.

The Obama administration is well aware that Turkey has the potential
to play a constructive role in the region, while acknowledging that it
might take time for the US to regain its stature there. With visits to
Israel and the Palestinian territories reportedly scheduled for June,
the American president wants to keep the ball rolling in the Middle
East, and to do this he will need allies like Turkey.

George S. Hishmeh is a Washington-based columnist. He can be contacted
at ghishmeh@gulfnews.com