Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Jan 21 2007
Nicholas Burns: We will work hard to oust the PKK
Saturday , 20 January 2007
On the second day of his meetings in Ankara, US Under Secretary for
Political Affairs, Nicholas Burns had a working brunch with senior
journalists in Turkey. Burns also met with Under Secretary of Foreign
Affairs Ertuðrul Apakan, Secretary General of the National Security
Council Yiðit Alpogan and Vice Chief of Staff General Ergin Saygun.
Before leaving for Israel, Burns also met with Turkish Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gül.
Talking with senior journalists Burns evaluated US-Turkish relations
and said that the US relationship with Turkey was unique. Burns said
both sides had established a new `strategic partnership’ despite
diverging on policy on Iraq, Iran and the PKK. Burns called his
meeting with Prime Minister Erdoðan very productive and added that
the American side was in a listening mood and willing to take advice
from Erdoðan.
Burns said his meetings revolved around four interlocking crises in
the Middle East on the forefront of American interests. `The
extraordinary challenge we are facing in Iraq, the rise of Iran and
its continued efforts at Natanz, the reconstruction of Lebanon and
finally the continued efforts by Turkey and the US to see if we can
breathe new life into the future of negotiations between Israel and
Palestinians,’ were the four main issues on his agenda. `We also
spoke about bilateral issues like the Armenian genocide resolution
coming up in the US Congress’ added Burns.
Burns’ speech to the journalists was well informed on what the
Turkish public would like to hear. The Under Secretary used the term
`Strategic Partner’ more than any other American diplomat in the last
five years with regard to Turkey. `We have an enormous strategic
agenda with Turkey. I would just say this: we continue to be Turkey’s
foremost and strongest supporter for its future in the EU.
That began with President Clinton ten years ago. It is continuing
with President Bush. We have a very clear strategic interest in
seeing Europe open its doors and keep those doors open to Turkey. I
don’t need to get into details of that except to say `this is
important’ as we look at the future and the interests of my country
in this region,’ said Burns.
The Under Secretary also reasserted US determination to be hopeful
about a solution to the Cyprus issue. `We do believe you can never
stop trying to find a way forward to find a resolution to the now
nearly fifty-year-old problem,’ he said.
US needs Turkey for its new foreign policy orientation
The Under Secretary of Political Affairs also expressed US gratitude
toward Turkey for continued support in Afghanistan under the NATO
umbrella. Burns also hinted that with the melting snows in the
southeastern Afghan mountains, NATO forces in Afghanistan may need
extra help in this region and that the US was trusting Turkey.
Burns claimed that Turkey’s importance lies in the recent shift in US
foreign policy orientation: `One of the great shifts in US foreign
policy orientation is from an occupation with Iraq to an occupation
with the greater Middle East and Southeast Asia. And Turkey is the
one country that bridges both worlds.’
`We will oppose the Armenian genocide resolution’
Answering a question, Burns commented on the resolution due to appear
in the US Congress and Senate and said that the administration has
made it very clear to the leadership of the House and Senate that it
would oppose the resolution. Burns promised that he and Secretary of
State Condoleeza Rice would be actively involved with Congress in
order to prevent the resolution’s passing.
`We are on the record with Congress and we will continue to be on the
record that such a resolution will be harmful to our relationship
with Turkey,’ said Burns. However, he also reiterated that Congress
holds most of the cards on issues of legislation and apart from
persuasion there was nothing the Administration could do to prevent
the resolution’s passing.
`We believe that there are many experts in universities who can and
should discuss these issues; and that archives should be opened, as
the Turkish government made clear. There should be a debate about
this but we don’t think that the proper form should be a resolution
in the Congress,’ said Burns.
The Under Secretary was also promising on the PKK issue but with more
deliberate terms. Burns reminded that the US was unequivocally clear
about the PKK: `We banned it outside Turkey. We don’t recognize it,
we don’t deal with it as an organization. We have sanctioned it. We
have encouraged our European allies to sanction it. We tried to
convince our European allies not to allow political front
organizations of the PKK to have offices in their countries and not
let them make propaganda.’
Asked whether the US shares the views of the Turkish government
vis-à-vis the terrorist organization PKK, Burns said that the PKK
uses violence to attain political aims and that was a definition we
could agree on. According to Burns, US support to Turkey in its fight
against terror was essential. `We as Americans have been victims of
terrorism. Turkey is a victim of terrorism. We absolutely have to
stand by Turkey’ said Burns.
Burns argued that a major part of the problem could be solved through
cooperation between Iraq, the US, and Turkey. He saw no difficulty in
convincing Turkey to speak to the Iraqi authorities and vice versa.
`We are trying to find what can be done in order to stop PKK attacks
against the Turkish military and civilians. We believe that can
happen, that can work without any further resort to the use of force
and cross-border operations,’ said Burns, adding that the US
recognized Turkey’s right to defend itself, and that fighting the PKK
was not only Turkey’s responsibility but the Iraqi government and the
US administration held responsibilities too.
The offer to Iran still on the table
The Under Secretary of Political Affairs also evaluated the
escalating crisis with Iran and said that Iran would have accepted US
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s offer for diplomatic
negotiations if Iran was not divided domestically. Burns reminded
that the US had formed a diplomatic coalition with Russia, China,
France and Germany to find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear
crisis with Iran and that the coalition offered direct diplomatic
negotiations on every issue if Iran accepted to stop the uranium
enrichment project in Natanz temporarily.
`We offered to supply Iran with civil nuclear power, with economic
help, and to remove sanctions. Secretary of State Ms. Rice said that
she would personally join the negotiations. We all were convinced
that Iran would agree to these terms. We waited four and a half
months and in mid October they said no. And that is why we had to
turn to the other path, the Security Council sanctions,’ explained
Burns.
Burns also said that the US administration values Turkey’s
perspectives with regards to Iran. `We haven’t had an American
diplomat in Iran for 27 years. But Turkey has very active relations
in Iran and because of that it is very important to hear the advice
of Turkey and get a sense of the internal dynamics in Iran,’ said
Burns, adding that most of the time the Turkish position was
compatible with the US position. `On the nuclear issue; neither of us
want Iran to become a nuclear power. On the terrorism issue; neither
of us wants to see Iran foment instability in the Palestinian
territories, in Lebanon or in Iraq,’ explained Burns.
Asked about anti-Americanism is the Islamic World, the Under
Secretary said the unavoidable, criticizing the mass media. Burns
claimed that in some Muslim countries the picture of the US depicted
by the mass media was not accurate. He accepted that some public
sentiments were created by cataclysmic events in recent years and
that a rehabilitation of those feelings is a long term project.
Burns also claimed that responsibility in fighting anti-Americanism
was solely not on Americans. `I think it is important for Muslims to
remember that in Bosnia it was the United States that intervened on
behalf of a Muslim population that had been brutalised, 250.000 of
them killed, two million forced out of their homes in a four-year
war. And we stopped that war. It was the US that intervened on behalf
of a Muslim population to protect it from Milosevic in 1999.’ He said
he believes the US helped the Afghan and Iraqi peoples get rid of
their corrupt regimes despite serious difficulties in these
countries.
No `number one’ issue between Turkey and the US
Answering a question on what the number one issue was in Burns’
meetings in Turkey, the Under Secretary said: `The Turkish-US
relationship was one of those relationships that you cannot pinpoint
one issue. It is one of those relationships vast in terms of the
number of issues you deal with.’ Though refusing to single out one
issue Burns finished his answer by saying: `But certainly we want to
solve that PKK problem. I cannot predict when and how, but we need to
solve that problem and we will work very hard on that.’
By Ekrem DUMANLI and Kerim BALCI, Today’s Zaman