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Hurriyet, Turkey
Dec 31 2009
Diverging policies may hurt US-Turkish ties in 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Ã`mit ENGÄ°NSOY
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
Turkey and the United States in 2009 largely managed to restore their
relationship earlier damaged by the Iraq war, but now diverging
policies of the two allies on matters related to the Near East may
once again strain their ties in the new year.
New U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
ErdoÄ?an paid visits to each other's capital during 2009 with warm
rhetoric prevailing throughout most of the year.
Turkish leaders were originally alarmed when Obama was elected
president in November 2008, as he during the election campaign had
pledged to recognize World War I-era killings of Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire as `genocide.'
But as president, Obama reversed his position and throughout 2009 he
strongly supported a recently launched process for reconciliation
between Turkey and Armenia. He announced in Ankara on April 6 that he
would refrain from any moves that would jeopardize the process,
declining to keep his promise for the U.S. Armenians.
The Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Oct. 10 signed a set of
agreements under which Ankara and Yerevan should set up normal
diplomatic relations and reopen their land border. The deal, if
ratified by the parliaments of the two neighbors, would effectively
end decades of hostile relations.
But there are strong signs that the process is now facing an uphill
battle, with both parliaments so far declining to ratify the deal.
Turkey says it first needs to see progress toward solving the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ankara's
close friend and ally.
Analysts agree that unless the normalization process takes effect
soon, this situation may cause a major diplomatic problem between
Ankara and Washington. Presently, two "Armenian genocide resolutions"
are pending in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives,
Congress' two chambers, and those bills may pass without
reconciliation between Ankara and Yerevan.
Iranian dispute
In addition, Turkey and the United States are deeply at odds on Iran's
controversial nuclear program. The Obama administration, although it
wants a peaceful solution to the dispute, also is calling for new and
strong U.N. sanctions to deter Tehran.
But Ankara is staunchly opposed to such sanctions, with ErdoÄ?an saying
that Western accusations that Iran is seeking to obtain the atomic
bomb are merely "gossip." Throughout 2009, Turkey continued to
strengthen trade ties with Iran.
ErdoÄ?an has also accused the West of double standards, tolerating
Israel's nuclear weapons but objecting to Iran's nuclear program,
which Tehran says is aimed at peaceful energy purposes. So analysts
agree that Iran will remain a sticking point between Ankara and
Washington in 2010.
In a related matter, the United States is also concerned over recent
tensions between Turkey and Israel. Those tensions mounted exactly a
year ago amid the Israeli military's offensive against Palestinians in
Gaza, and throughout 2009 Erdogan strongly criticized the Jewish
state.
Afghanistan another sticking point
The United States and Turkey also disagree on Afghanistan. The Obama
administration in late November announced that it would send an
additional 30,000 U.S. troops to the war-torn country to fight the
Taliban, urging other NATO allies also to send combat troops.
But Ankara rejected the U.S. call, saying it would continue to offer
developmental support to Afghanistan, but that it would not physically
fight the Taliban. Washington is also annoyed by the Turkish
government's growing ties with Sudan's leaders, accusing them of
committing genocide in the country's Darfur region.
At their Dec. 7 meeting at the White House, Obama and ErdoÄ?an
downplayed policy differences, but shortly before their talks U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs Philip
Gordon publicly admitted that there were a number of disagreements
between the two NATO allies.
Unless those differences are worked out reasonably shortly, they may
lead to another cooling down between Turkey and the United States,
even officials from the two countries say
Dec 31 2009
Diverging policies may hurt US-Turkish ties in 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Ã`mit ENGÄ°NSOY
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
Turkey and the United States in 2009 largely managed to restore their
relationship earlier damaged by the Iraq war, but now diverging
policies of the two allies on matters related to the Near East may
once again strain their ties in the new year.
New U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
ErdoÄ?an paid visits to each other's capital during 2009 with warm
rhetoric prevailing throughout most of the year.
Turkish leaders were originally alarmed when Obama was elected
president in November 2008, as he during the election campaign had
pledged to recognize World War I-era killings of Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire as `genocide.'
But as president, Obama reversed his position and throughout 2009 he
strongly supported a recently launched process for reconciliation
between Turkey and Armenia. He announced in Ankara on April 6 that he
would refrain from any moves that would jeopardize the process,
declining to keep his promise for the U.S. Armenians.
The Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Oct. 10 signed a set of
agreements under which Ankara and Yerevan should set up normal
diplomatic relations and reopen their land border. The deal, if
ratified by the parliaments of the two neighbors, would effectively
end decades of hostile relations.
But there are strong signs that the process is now facing an uphill
battle, with both parliaments so far declining to ratify the deal.
Turkey says it first needs to see progress toward solving the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ankara's
close friend and ally.
Analysts agree that unless the normalization process takes effect
soon, this situation may cause a major diplomatic problem between
Ankara and Washington. Presently, two "Armenian genocide resolutions"
are pending in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives,
Congress' two chambers, and those bills may pass without
reconciliation between Ankara and Yerevan.
Iranian dispute
In addition, Turkey and the United States are deeply at odds on Iran's
controversial nuclear program. The Obama administration, although it
wants a peaceful solution to the dispute, also is calling for new and
strong U.N. sanctions to deter Tehran.
But Ankara is staunchly opposed to such sanctions, with ErdoÄ?an saying
that Western accusations that Iran is seeking to obtain the atomic
bomb are merely "gossip." Throughout 2009, Turkey continued to
strengthen trade ties with Iran.
ErdoÄ?an has also accused the West of double standards, tolerating
Israel's nuclear weapons but objecting to Iran's nuclear program,
which Tehran says is aimed at peaceful energy purposes. So analysts
agree that Iran will remain a sticking point between Ankara and
Washington in 2010.
In a related matter, the United States is also concerned over recent
tensions between Turkey and Israel. Those tensions mounted exactly a
year ago amid the Israeli military's offensive against Palestinians in
Gaza, and throughout 2009 Erdogan strongly criticized the Jewish
state.
Afghanistan another sticking point
The United States and Turkey also disagree on Afghanistan. The Obama
administration in late November announced that it would send an
additional 30,000 U.S. troops to the war-torn country to fight the
Taliban, urging other NATO allies also to send combat troops.
But Ankara rejected the U.S. call, saying it would continue to offer
developmental support to Afghanistan, but that it would not physically
fight the Taliban. Washington is also annoyed by the Turkish
government's growing ties with Sudan's leaders, accusing them of
committing genocide in the country's Darfur region.
At their Dec. 7 meeting at the White House, Obama and ErdoÄ?an
downplayed policy differences, but shortly before their talks U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs Philip
Gordon publicly admitted that there were a number of disagreements
between the two NATO allies.
Unless those differences are worked out reasonably shortly, they may
lead to another cooling down between Turkey and the United States,
even officials from the two countries say