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Cumhuriyet, Turkey
March 23 2013
Obama Signals 'White House Meeting'
column "Analysis" by Utku Cakirozer
There was a surprise development during the phone conversation in
which Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologized to Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the Mavi Marmara raid. During the
conversation, US President Barack Obama, who was standing next to
Netanyahu, took the phone and congratulated Erdogan for the compromise
reached and said: "We will discuss this issue in greater detail soon."
By doing this, he signalled a White House invitation, for which Ankara
has been waiting for a long time.
Signal Came in Denmark
Let us first look at the developments that triggered Israel's decision
to apologize.
1. President Obama's pressuring to reinstate the relationship between
Ankara and Tel Avivi was the most important deciding factor.
2. Prime Minister Netanyahu gained some breathing room when Israeli
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who opposed any apologies, was
forced to step down for six months because of certain allegations
against him after recent elections.
3. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu discussed the conditions that would satisfy Turkey in the
several phone conversations they had prior to Obama's visit to Israel.
4. In an interview with a Danish newspaper at the beginning of this
week, Prime Minister Erdogan said that his comments at the UN meeting
in Vienna were misunderstood and that Turkey has always opposed
anti-Semitism.
Success on Apology, Compensation
After a compromise was formulated by Kerry through shuttle diplomacy,
Netanyahu called Erdogan and used the word "apology" in an unambiguous
and indisputable way. This must be recorded as a diplomatic success
for the AKP [Justice and Development Party] government. The Israeli
side also agreed to pay compensation for the Turkish citizens killed
in the Mavi Marmara raid.
Embargo Not Lifted
Although Turkey's conditions for an apology and compensation - demands
that were expressed from the outset - were met, no progress was made
on Prime Minister Erdogan's third demand for "the lifting of the
blockade on Gaza" - which was added later. As the Office of the Prime
Minister has pointed out, Netanyahu did not make any statements to the
effect that "the blockade will be lifted." Netanyahu did not announce
any new decisions with regard to the blockade.
The blockade on Gaza was effectively eased after the Muslim
Brotherhood rose to power in Egypt. Reports published in the Israeli
press yesterday evening suggest that Netanyahu told Erdogan that "this
situation will continue as long as Israel's security is not
threatened."
All Three Countries to Win
The agreement reached yesterday will contribute to the national
interests of all three countries involved, namely Turkey, the United
States, and Israel. Specifically:
1. There will be a big relief in Turkey's relations with the United
States. The first and most important sign of this is the upcoming
White House appointment Erdogan had been waiting for.
2. The Jewish lobby in the US Congress, which had taken a really harsh
stand after the prime minister's comments about "Zionism," will now
soften its position. As a result, Ankara's requests for its defence
system needs will receive better treatment. In addition, it will be
possible to prevent the Jewish lobby from backing resolutions on the
Armenian genocide.
3. Intelligence cooperation with Israel will be developed to protect
the negotiation process with Imrali for the solution of Turkey's
Kurdish problem from potential provocations.
4. Israel will be saved from the isolation it has been forced to face
in the Middle East as a consequence of the Arab Spring. In particular,
Israel will expand its cooperation over intelligence and security with
Turkey.
5. Another gain for Israel will be the prevention of the international
lawsuits against soldiers who participated in the Mavi Marmara raid.
6. Having realized reconciliation between two important allies, the
United States will greatly increase its influence in the resolution of
regional crises in the Middle East.
[Translated from Turkish]
March 23 2013
Obama Signals 'White House Meeting'
column "Analysis" by Utku Cakirozer
There was a surprise development during the phone conversation in
which Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologized to Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the Mavi Marmara raid. During the
conversation, US President Barack Obama, who was standing next to
Netanyahu, took the phone and congratulated Erdogan for the compromise
reached and said: "We will discuss this issue in greater detail soon."
By doing this, he signalled a White House invitation, for which Ankara
has been waiting for a long time.
Signal Came in Denmark
Let us first look at the developments that triggered Israel's decision
to apologize.
1. President Obama's pressuring to reinstate the relationship between
Ankara and Tel Avivi was the most important deciding factor.
2. Prime Minister Netanyahu gained some breathing room when Israeli
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who opposed any apologies, was
forced to step down for six months because of certain allegations
against him after recent elections.
3. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu discussed the conditions that would satisfy Turkey in the
several phone conversations they had prior to Obama's visit to Israel.
4. In an interview with a Danish newspaper at the beginning of this
week, Prime Minister Erdogan said that his comments at the UN meeting
in Vienna were misunderstood and that Turkey has always opposed
anti-Semitism.
Success on Apology, Compensation
After a compromise was formulated by Kerry through shuttle diplomacy,
Netanyahu called Erdogan and used the word "apology" in an unambiguous
and indisputable way. This must be recorded as a diplomatic success
for the AKP [Justice and Development Party] government. The Israeli
side also agreed to pay compensation for the Turkish citizens killed
in the Mavi Marmara raid.
Embargo Not Lifted
Although Turkey's conditions for an apology and compensation - demands
that were expressed from the outset - were met, no progress was made
on Prime Minister Erdogan's third demand for "the lifting of the
blockade on Gaza" - which was added later. As the Office of the Prime
Minister has pointed out, Netanyahu did not make any statements to the
effect that "the blockade will be lifted." Netanyahu did not announce
any new decisions with regard to the blockade.
The blockade on Gaza was effectively eased after the Muslim
Brotherhood rose to power in Egypt. Reports published in the Israeli
press yesterday evening suggest that Netanyahu told Erdogan that "this
situation will continue as long as Israel's security is not
threatened."
All Three Countries to Win
The agreement reached yesterday will contribute to the national
interests of all three countries involved, namely Turkey, the United
States, and Israel. Specifically:
1. There will be a big relief in Turkey's relations with the United
States. The first and most important sign of this is the upcoming
White House appointment Erdogan had been waiting for.
2. The Jewish lobby in the US Congress, which had taken a really harsh
stand after the prime minister's comments about "Zionism," will now
soften its position. As a result, Ankara's requests for its defence
system needs will receive better treatment. In addition, it will be
possible to prevent the Jewish lobby from backing resolutions on the
Armenian genocide.
3. Intelligence cooperation with Israel will be developed to protect
the negotiation process with Imrali for the solution of Turkey's
Kurdish problem from potential provocations.
4. Israel will be saved from the isolation it has been forced to face
in the Middle East as a consequence of the Arab Spring. In particular,
Israel will expand its cooperation over intelligence and security with
Turkey.
5. Another gain for Israel will be the prevention of the international
lawsuits against soldiers who participated in the Mavi Marmara raid.
6. Having realized reconciliation between two important allies, the
United States will greatly increase its influence in the resolution of
regional crises in the Middle East.
[Translated from Turkish]