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ANKARA: Neighbors Need Each Other's Ashes

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  • ANKARA: Neighbors Need Each Other's Ashes

    Neighbors Need Each Other's Ashes
    By ALI H. ASLAN

    Zaman, Turkey
    Dec 8 2004

    Last week, when U.S. -Turkish relations were tense because of the
    controversial operation in Fallujah, Turkish Ambassador to Washington
    Faruk Logoglu was a guest at a live broadcast on C-Span, one of
    the most respected news channels in the United States. During the
    program called the "Washington Journal," where listeners are able to
    ask questions on the phone, two people brought Iraq and Fallujah to
    the agenda.

    While Bush administration were being criticized by the Turkish public
    because of Fallujah, these American citizens put the blame on Turkey
    for what is happening there. "If Turkey had allowed the U.S. 4th
    Infantry Division to enter Iraq through its territory, Fallujah would
    not have been the central base for insurgency and terror."

    This was not the first time I heard this argument. It is particularly
    widespread in military circles. As a matter of fact, one of those who
    called Ambassador Logoglu, was a former member of the 4th Infantry
    Division. Logoglu tried to show his American collocutors the full part
    of the glass in relations between the two countries, particularly on
    Iraq. Just as his American counterparts in Turkey do...

    Public diplomacy, which is aimed at explaining official policies to
    peoples and creating a positive image about one's country, is one
    of the indispensable elements of international relations. However,
    despite efforts by both parties since the Iraq war process, serious
    difficulties among others have been experienced in the public diplomacy
    aspect of U. S. -Turkish relations. The big difference of opinion on
    Fallujah, constitute a dramatic example to that.

    In the US public opinion, Fallujah operation is mostly portrayed as a
    means of fighting against terror and securing the upcoming elections.
    As for Turkey, the matter is often viewed from the angle of human
    rights and civilian casualties. The differences of opinion stem mostly
    from the manner which the governments and the media reflect the issues
    to their publics. "Strategic partners" normally confer with their
    public policies as well. The lack of a strategic partnership between
    the United States and Turkey, at least on Iraq, is obvious since
    reactions against Fallujah have turned into such a diplomatic crisis.

    It all started when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan brought
    Fallujah to the agenda, during his phone call to U. S. Vice
    President Dick Cheney, to convey his congratulations over the
    elections. The stunned White House was further saddened because the
    phone conversation was leaked to the Turkish public. The chairman
    of the Turkish Parliamentary Human Rights Investigation Commission,
    Mehmet Elkatmis of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), likening
    what is being done in Fallujah to "genocide," tested the limits
    of patience. Our guys had the "You cannot prevent people from
    talking" approach. Americans, on the other hand, viewed the incident
    as follows: Parliament is under the control of the ruling party; if
    the government wishes, it could shape the discourse. Foreign Minister
    Abdullah Gul, perhaps unaware of the scope of the problem, concurred
    with Elkatmis' remarks on his return from an overseas trip. However,
    he later put reservations on the expression "genocide." This was the
    right attitude. Don't we expect the same attitude from the U. S.
    administration when the so-called Armenian genocide is brought to
    the agenda in the U. S. Congress?

    Today, the U. S. has the same nationalist reflexes on Iraq similar
    to our sensitivities on Armenian and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
    issues. Even those who are aware of their mistakes do not like them to
    be pointed out to them by putting a finger in the eye. The politicians
    of both countries, in particular, should make their rightful and
    democratic criticisms in a manner that would not pave the way for an
    international crisis and fuel hatred. Otherwise, mutual indignations
    could increase, open deep wounds in public conscience and even the
    most successful public diplomacy may not be able heal them.

    Besides, excessive emotional outbursts do not serve the purpose
    of helping Iraq. They weaken the hands of those, already limited
    in number, who defend our views in Washington. They also shake the
    Americans' trust in us more, reduce the chance that they would listen
    our advice and thus correct their mistakes.

    The significance Turkey gives to regional neighborhood and the empathy
    it feels for the sufferings of the Iraqi people deserve appreciation;
    however, whether we like it or not, we need good relations with the
    United States, our possible neighbor in the foreseeable future. As
    expressed in a Turkish saying, "A neighbor needs even the ashes of
    a neighbor…"

    --Boundary_(ID_4VabWICHUdCa+9fLiR0rQw)--
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