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ANKARA: Serbian Vote Vindicates Long-Held Turkish Policy

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  • ANKARA: Serbian Vote Vindicates Long-Held Turkish Policy

    SERBIAN VOTE VINDICATES LONG-HELD TURKISH POLICY
    Fulya Ozerkan

    Hurriyet Daily News
    March 31 2010
    Turkey

    A decision by Serbia on Wednesday accepting culpability for the
    killings of 8,000 Bosnian civilians 15 years ago is seen in Turkish
    policy circles as vindication of the country's long support for Bosnia
    and Herzegovina's quest for justice.

    In a prompt statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry welcomed the
    declaration by the Serbian parliament as an important step toward
    reconciliation between the peoples of Serbia and Bosnia.

    "Turkey expresses its appreciation for the visionary leadership
    displayed by the leaders of both Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
    for their courageous steps taken in this direction and reiterates its
    readiness to continue supporting fully their efforts for reconciliation
    and normalization through bilateral and regional platforms," the
    ministry said.

    The Turkish government is trying to foster dialogue in a trilateral
    mechanism involving Serbia and Bosnia.

    Erhan Turbedar, a Balkans expert at the Ankara-based think tank TEPAV,
    said Turkey was one of the countries that brought the apology issue
    to the forefront to help the two nations solve their differences.

    At the same time, however, he said the Turkish initiative was facing
    a backlash.

    "The Serbian right-wing opposition was quick to question [Foreign
    Minister Ahmet] Davutoglu's premature remarks that the Serbian
    parliament would make an apology for the killings before the Serbian
    declaration and, in retaliation, submitted an Armenian genocide
    resolution to parliament," said Turbedar.

    "It is another question whether the measure passes the parliament or
    not but it will garner serious support," he said.

    'Dialogue with Serbia a must'

    Another researcher on the Balkans, however, praised the constructive
    efforts made by the Turkish leadership and said Ankara had pursued
    a wise policy to start dialogue with Serbia to have an influence in
    the Balkans.

    Gözde Kılıc YaÅ~_ın, a Balkans expert at think tank TUKSAM, said:
    "Turkey is aware of the fact that the rights of Albanians and Bosniaks
    cannot be improved without good relations with Serbia."

    She said while Turkish-Serbian relations were very constrained in
    the past, that was no longer the situation today.

    YaÅ~_ın, however, said: "Can the Serbian parliament's apology mean
    Turkey's success? I think that apology was necessary and obligatory."

    'Apology will not solve Bosnian problem'

    Another prominent Turkish academic said Turkey had worked hard for
    a resolution of the problem between Serbia and Bosnia but also said
    European Union pressure also played a key role in forcing the Serbian
    parliament vote after years of refusal to do so.

    "I think the two processes have fed one another. Will the apology
    soften the strain in Bosnia? Maybe in the short term but in the long
    run, I don't think it will resolve the problem because the problem
    is even deeper," said Middle East Technical University Professor
    Mustafa TurkeÅ~_ said in reference to the political crisis facing
    Bosnia and the ambiguous future of the international presence in the
    Balkan country.

    "The apology would only transform the problem," he said.

    Kosovo link

    The Serbian resolution, which was finally passed in the early hours
    of Wednesday, stopped short of using the word genocide, although it
    did refer to an International Court of Justice decision, which uses
    the term.

    Turbedar said Serbia was making an apology three years after the
    International Court of Justice decision. "Serbia is answering a 2007
    decision in 2010. Why?" he asked.

    The expert also said Serbia took the independence of Kosovo to the same
    court over the legality of its unilateral declaration of independence
    in 2008.

    "Serbians have the expectations that the international court will make
    a decision in favor of Serbia but for this decision to have weight,
    Serbia must implement the 2007 decision of the court over the 1995
    events in Srebrenica," said Turbedar.

    "Did Serbia apologize just because it is aware of its cruelty in the
    past or to raise its standing in the international arena and score
    points on Kosovo?"

    He believes Serbia passed the resolution because of the second reason.

    Turbedar said: "That apology means nothing for the Bosniacs. Serbian
    democracy is, unfortunately, so weak it cannot confront with its past."
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