Hurriyet, Turkey
Dec 30 2009
Israeli gov’t clashes over Turk mediation making fate of Syria talks vague
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
FULYA Ã-ZERKAN
ANKARA ` Hürriyet Daily News
The clash within the Israeli government over Turkish mediation has
turned into a Cabinet crisis and analysts are not very hopeful about
peace talks resuming between Israel and Syria under current
circumstances
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
The public bickering by Israeli government officials over who should
mediate peace talks with Syria has left analysts as equally divided as
the states involved. The widespread belief is that talks are not
expected to resume in the near future.
The clash within the Israeli government over Turkish mediation has
turned into a Cabinet crisis. The Labor Party camp led by Industry,
Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer and Defense Minister
Ehud Barak represent a wider perspective favoring Turkey’s return to
its past position as mediator in indirect talks with Syria. The other
camp, led by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman who heads right-wing
Yisrael Beiteinu, stands against any mediation, including from Turkey.
Indeed another split is between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and his foreign minister. While Netanyahu does not entirely
rule out the involvement of a mediator in the Israeli-Syrian talks, he
is, however, not enthusiastic about Turkish mediation but warm to
French involvement because of his friendly ties with French President
Nicolas Sarkozy. Lieberman, on the other side, said he opposes any
mediation as long as he remains in office as foreign minister.
Diplomatic sources told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review it
is unfortunate the debates are too publicized, but underline that the
final decision rests with the Israeli prime minister.
`Under these circumstances it would not be realistic to expect the
resumption of Israeli-Syrian negotiations,’ Mensur Akgün, Turkish
professor of international relations, told the Daily News.
He said he considered the current attitude of the Labor Party camp as
an apparent sign not to lose Turkey, but made clear that Syria and
Israel were not alternatives of each other for Ankara, like in the
case of Armenia and Azerbaijan where the government was trying to
normalize ties with Yerevan without upsetting Baku. Akgün said when
Turkey criticizes Israel, it should demonstrate the same sensitivity
and be careful not to offend Tel Aviv.
Official policy of Israel
Turkey has so far hosted four rounds of indirect talks between Israel
and Syria, but the talks were suspended by the Gaza war and the
Israeli elections. Turkish diplomats are not very optimistic about the
resumption of talks, saying the political mood in Israel is not
appropriate for now. The official policy of Israel, on the other hand,
is to hold direct talks with Damascus.
`The Israeli government has two major principles regarding Syrian
negotiations. The first is direct negotiations and second it prefers
negotiations without any preconditions,’ Israeli Embassy spokesman
Amit Zarouk told the Daily News.
Liberman’s harsh remarks saying Turkey should forget acting as a
mediator between Israel and Syria received no response from Ankara.
Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu declined to comment when asked at a
press conference Monday. He said only, `Turkey’s role in the Middle
East peace process is known by all.’
‘Theater play’
Syria wants Turkish mediation in peace talks with Israel.
`The Syrian position is clear. Various Syrian officials said they want
the continuation of Turkish mediation in any talks with Israel, but
the problem is with the Israelis,’ said Marwan Al Kabalan of the
Center for Strategic Studies at Damascus University.
`There are suspicions here in Damascus about whether the Israeli
government, from the Labor Party or from other right-wing parties,
[wants] to resume negotiations. Israelis are not really serious. Why
do they reject talks now while it was the Israelis who approached
Turkey in 2007? Israelis are acting in a theater play that has been
ongoing since 1991,’ he said.
For Kabalan, Turkish mediation was successful and brought negotiations
to a serious point. `This process should be repeated, but now the
Israelis want to start from zero with a new mediator to gain more
time. This is a game we are familiar with,’ he said.
Ephraim Kam, deputy director of a Tel Aviv-based independent think
tank, said last year’s tension sparked by the Israeli-led war in Gaza
changed the general atmosphere in Turkish-Israeli relations, adding
that Turkey lost its neutrality as an impartial mediator in the eyes
of the Israelis.
`Turkey is a good mediator with experience in indirect negotiations
with Syria when Ehud Olmert was in power in Israel, but it is not a
must,’ said Kam, from the Institute for National Security Studies. `We
can find other channels. France could be another channel, but if
relations improve, then Turkey could be asked to return as mediator.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress