Posted on 07/01/2004 9:29:01 AM PDT by Mortimer Snavely
June 29, 2004
Bosphorus Bridge was selected as the symbol of the 2004 NATO Summit which was held in Istanbul. Rumors that NATO was no longer needed because it lost its purpose with the collapse of the USSR were put aside and a larger NATO with a redefined purpose to fight terrorism over a large territory, all the way from Fez in North -West Africa to Bangladesh in Central Asia, and covering the Middle East and the Caucasus Republics along the way reemerged. Most of these countries are Muslim, and the purpose is to bring freedom, democracy, and prosperity to the people living there.
POWERED BY THE BRIDGE
Turkey served as the perfect host, with its past role as the leader of Islamic populations, her reputation as the protector of Jews over the centuries, and recently as a country with Western Principles set forth by the great visionary Ataturk who founded modern Turkey from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Earlier at the G-8 Summit, Turkey was selected as a catalyst country to bring together the Islamic World closer to the Christian West. After all, Turkey is a laic (secular) country where people of various faiths have lived harmoniously for centuries.
The NATO General Secretary in his opening statement of the summit, and President G.W. Bush in his closing speech mentioned Turkey's geographical location acting as a bridge between two continents and emphasized Turkey's social status as a happy meeting hub between the mostly Islamic Eastern countries and mostly Christian Western nations.
Istanbul served as the perfect site for the occasion, because it has been enriched by many civilizations while serving as their capital for thousands of years (predating to BC) and the Bosphorus Bridge is a meeting point for all of today's trade routes. During this summit, it became visible that in a world where civilizations are clashing elsewhere, Turkey is the place where civilizations meet.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ISTANBUL NATO SUMMIT?
NATO increased the number of member states from 16 to 19 last year, and then to 26 this year. A growth as ambitious as the European Union's enlargement! With the exception of Bulgaria, all new states are members of the EU. They will have a say so in Turkey's membership. This NATO Summit was an opportunity for Turkey to step up cordial relations with all of the guest countries. One of the stated goals of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to build friendly relations with all nations.Here is a picture of Presdient Bush delivering his closing remarks at the garden of the Galatasaray College with the Bosphorus Bridge and the Ortakoy Camii as the background setting:
Presidents or prime ministers of 48 countries including high level bureaucrats gathered in Istanbul for the summit. Apparently 3200 newscasters (1600 from 71 different countries, and 1600 Turkish) followed the event. Millions watched the beauties of our country through their TV sets. We received prime time coverage in all kinds of media. I think Turkey used the opportunity wisely.
Apparently, some of the previous NATO summits were held in army barracks, but we used center town of historically beautiful Istanbul - the capital among capitals to show Turkey at its best. Organizers worked hard to provide safety for all of the guests and hopefully some pleasant entertainment during their stay.
The citizens suffered some. Most shops and restaurants could not open up for business, during the event. There were anti-establishment demonstrations, some of which went too far. Of course, the security around the government heads must have been nightmarish. I enjoyed watching the Turkish forces air show where they drew a heart with their smoke. Also, the sea forces showed off their capabilities. On the ground, people had to show their id-cards to enter certain districts. Ferry crossings connecting the European to Asian side of Istanbul stopped at 6:30 pm. The Turkish Prime Minister apologized many times, for the inconvenience, from the citizens of Istanbul, where he had been the mayor for many years. Some of us were thankful that we did not live in Brussels, where events like this take place almost daily.
Someone reported that 40,000 people engaged in some kind of demonstration, including the mothers of fallen soldiers in the fight against the PKK terrorism. I watched on TV, some of the unscheduled protests. A political party named ODP and various workers unions were mentioned. I had witnessed similar demonstrations in Ankara on the eve of the infamous March 1 vote. From their characteristics and the names of groups, I think they were DHKP-C extensions (a leftist organization left from the 60's and 70's) and PKK derivatives (a Marxist Kurdish group). For instance, they removed side-walk stones with crowbars, spray-painted their group initials on the vehicles that they overturned, and some used green - yellow flags.
This time, I watched on TV professional size slings which were used to throw glass marbles at the policemen, Molotov-cocktails burned along the streets, bank windows were broken. Most demonstrators were wearing helmets, or gas masks. On the second day, all of the police and some of the cameramen also donned helmets and gas-masks. They attacked the police with innocent looking, but deadly toys.
The anti-establishment demonstrators achieved one good thing though. Zarkhawi set free the 3 Turkish hostages that they had captured in Iraq two days ago. They claimed to be pleased with the anarchists' demonstrations. I'd say enough to force someone to rethink his motives, before joining another protest. NATO has been good for Turkey, good for Europe, and for the free world. Why stand against it?
I must remind you though that none of this tight security was necessary when Clinton came to Turkey in the aftermath of the big earthquake. Actually people still make jokes about the child who pulled and twisted his nose. I hope the opposition to Iraqi War does not turn into anti-Americanism in Turkey.
Some think that a NATO with less, but more powerful member countries could be more functional, but everyone agrees that NATO gets its power from the USA. The 15 airplane landing decks (some of them 6 stories, and seating around 80 planes), as well as rapid deployment forces, and high tech equipment allows the USA to set his conditions all over the World. Turkey has the second most powerful army following the USA. Jacques Chirac in the meantime is still talking about starting a European Force.
Europe has always leaned on the USA and Turkey when they needed military power; to USA during WWII and Turkey during the Cold War. However they want to exclude the two when it is time to make decisions.
Before arriving in Turkey, G. W. Bush said that Turkey belongs in the European Union. He drew attention to the fact that Turkey is a democratic country with a predominantly Moslem population. Closing the gates on Turkey could make Europe look like a Christian Club. Germany's Gerhard Schroeder gave speeches using words like 'Europe should deliver the promise they gave to Turkey 41 years ago'. But not Jacques Chirac! He held a news conference stating that since G. W. Bush was not allowed to vote in the event he should not state his opinion, that it was tantamount to him asking Mexico to join the USA. These remarks came across as insult to the Turkish people. I wonder how the Mexicans felt about this name calling. America did not back away from its promises to Mexico for 41 years, like Europe is coming with one excuse after another not to help Turkey at her time of need.
Hopefully, the other leaders see how Turkey is a meeting place for different cultures. Turkish P.M. Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged all other government heads to share President Bush's opinion. He was polite enough not to say that America can always talk about Turkey, but not Chirac about Mexico.
Actually, Jacques Chirac did not say that he is opposed to Turkey's membership. He said that they will decide according to Gunter Verheugen's report, a name that I do not trust based on his misjudgment in the Cyprus affair. All other government heads made optimistic remarks. I am confident that they will give a negotiation date, and dangle Turkey on the line for however many more years Turkey allows them to. The musical show at Topkapi Palace ended with Beethoven's 5th symphony, the one which became the European Union's anthem. Joining the EU has been our goal for 40 years, but as a 1978 song said "The more you are near your destination, the more you slip sliding away". I will not go into details here, but I lost my desire to join the EU in the last two years.
MULTI-CULTURAL COLORS OF THE SUMMIT
There was an elegantly dressed lady president in the group. The first day she was wearing a lilac colored suit, the second day turquoise. While admiring her dress, I noticed another person wearing a pooh-green colored shawl, over a beige skirt. At close look, I noticed that he was a man. I am guessing that he was Afghanistan's Hamit Kharzai. Does my choice of fashion style make me intolerant of different cultures? No!
My favorite government head was Tony Blair. He seemed very sharp, quite comfortable in his suit, and his impromptu reactions agreed with me. He came off the limousine swiftly and without the aid of an escort he reached the Turkish President in a few quick steps. Also, during the meeting G. W. Bush whispered something in his ear, Blair smiled warmly and shook his hand in return. Later, we all found out the reason.
From my earlier contact with him, I know that the Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also charismatic; however, I noticed that he could not mingle with the guests. I am sure he would be a lot more effective in making friends with foreign leaders if he could speak English. He needs not learn French as long as Chirac is in that position.
G. W. Bush's closing speech was very well received by everyone. It was a well prepared, well calculated, good speech. Its Turkish translation can be found at Bush Speech in Turkish
For a few years Turkey was being cast as a model, and Turkey's Islamic character was brought forward to emphasize all of this. But the Turkish intellectuals objected to the imposition of this role upon Turkey. They prefer to bring forward Turkey's laicity, as the nation's founder great Ataturk established 80 years ago. Turks have proudly walked towards achieving a Western style culture as set forth by Ataturk. It may have been unnoticed by the guests, but the Turkish Prime Minister's wife was not invited to the State Dinner the first night, because of her head wear. A law was passed to stop wearing of the fez for men and the hijab for women. After the Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in neighboring Iran, more women started to wear the hijab in Turkey. The previous governments of Turkey protested Iran over this issue. Some women modernized the hijab and came up with the style that Emine Erdogan is wearing now.
To many other women this style of clothing symbolizes Islamic oppression, and they fear that all Turkish women may eventually be forced to cover up as it is customary in all Islamic Countries. The people holding high government offices definitely set up a model for the rest of the country. I am not going to explain why laicite is preferred by the non-muslims of the country, or the likes of Madonna. Just suffice to say that our prime minister's wife's head wear causes strain every time she has to come in contact with the State Head, Necdet Sezer.
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Commentators drew attention to the fact that there are many non-Islamic countries which are not democratic. However, all democratic countries have secularity or laicite at their foundation. Also, regional sensitivities should be respected, instead of a Western Model an adaptation of it to every country's needs is required. The critics liked that the President did not refer to Turkey as a model but a partner in bringing democracy, prosperity, and stability to the area. This action immediately improved the way other countries look at Turkey. For example the representative of Al-Jazeera TV was connected by phone to a radio show. He said that the people in the Middle East are ready for democracy. The rulers are unnecessarily fearful that they may lose their positions. The rulers often claim the lack of bureaucratic elite. He said, they should not worry, and start bringing democracy within their rule. He also said that the income of these countries was limited to oil revenues, which was distributed among the ruling elite. I was surprised to hear him say all these things, because Al-Jazeera is the TV station that shows the cold blooded beheadings, etc...
President Bush appeared warm towards the Turkish people. He shook hands with the 120 prominent businessmen who received permission from the US Embassy to listen to his closing speech. He mentioned the Turkish basketball player who is playing in the Detroit Pistons, and closed off with famous Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk's words "It is not which side of Istanbul you look at, it is important to see both sides form the bridge".
OTHER RELEVANT ISSUES
I almost forgot the important outcome of the NATO Summit. Yes, they agreed to train Iraqi police, gendarmerie, and army forces. France objected to any forces entering Iraq under the NATO flag. So, they decided to train them on other countries. A police college in Italy, and Jordan were suggested as possible sites. One Turkish commentator said that doing it in Turkey would be advantageous. They gave Pakistan's Parvez Musharref as an example. Somebody said that they would wait until after the US presidential elections, to decide on the details. They are saying, even if Pres Bush wins he may act differently after the election. President Bush said that he was going to win the elections before leaving Ankara.
About the transfer of power in Iraq happening two days earlier than scheduled, many think the French must have objected the military aid request which came from the future Iraqi Government. To fix the situation, in a surprise move - Bush gave control earlier, and the Iraqi Civilian leader immediately requested military training from NATO as the Iraqi Governor.
However, Fox News suggested that the turnover happened earlier then scheduled to surprise possible terrorist attacks. May be! Apparently in circles friendly to Al-Qaida, they claimed, it was a sign that the US was losing against the terrorists.
One Turkish commentator said that the President had realized that peace cannot come with a war, or with coercion, but with a lasting solution to the Palestinian - Israeli conflict. He said that the Arab dictators always brought this as a pre-condition for bringing democracy. Now, the president is saying, let the two go together, and the monarchs also agree. So, more reason to be optimistic. He also said that America was determined to pay whatever price was necessary to win in Iraq. This commentator also said there is no similarity to Vietnam. There is loosely organized resistance, in certain districts of Iraq. The World cannot afford to let USA lose face in Iraq. Otherwise, it would encourage the terrorists.
Syria is moving swiftly towards restructuring, but Iran is looking clumsy in achieving anything; the religious clergy is corrupt, so Iran may be the next target, someone said.
Apparently the most important outcome of this NATO summit is that a joint declaration was published. They have not published one since 1991.
NATO will move out of Bosnia and Europe Force will take its place. Recep Tayyip later said to answer a question like "Since Turkey is not an EU member...", that provisions were made for Turkey to leave some armed forces in Bosnia.
Turkey is expecting to take control of forces in Afghanistan for another term beginning in Feb 2005. Apparently, the number of forces will be increased. Turkey wants to work in the north. France and the other countries promised to pay their debt. Apparently until now, they did not pay what they were supposed to. Elections will be held in Afghanistan. It may not be the best of elections but 5 million people registered to vote.
Actually, the successful role that Turkey played in bringing stability to Afghanistan was the pivotal event shaping NATO into its new role. Previously NATO was considered only in terms of military actions.
Afghani people are tired of the 25 years of feud between the Afghani leaders. Unlike the nationalist fights in Iraq, they are yearning for stability. The people have sympathy for Turks. For this reason the Turkish soldiers can walk on the streets of Afghanistan, with their bayonets pointing down, whereas German soldiers have to walk in groups of no less than 10.
Some commentators were happy that Turkish forces were not required in Iraq. One likened it to dishwashing duty after the mess.
President Bush mentioned that he understands our suffering from terrorism. However, nobody in Turkey thinks that he treats the PKK terrorists the same way he treats Al-Zarkhavi. Apparently the new Iraqi government did not pass a decision to declare the PKK a terrorist organization. It was just the spokesperson pulling wool over our eyes. They are buying time, someone said.
G. W. Bush mentioned Ataturk in his speech, but did not place him on a pedestal high enough for my liking. He also mentioned that the religious people need to feel that they belong in the future of Turkey. He said that some Moslems pick the worst examples from the West to demonize modernization and democracy. He also said that some Americans pick on the Muslims undeservingly. There are people who do not understand the other side in each one of our societies. I was very pleased to hear him say all these things. Also, another self-criticism that I liked of G. W. Bush is when he said that in the past, the West has selected to pay off some monarchs to keep their people in control. This was the easier path. Now, we are correcting ourselves. I loved it! This comment leaves no ammunition in the hands of the negative propagandists. He said that free people do not live in the past, but move on to the future. This reminds me of the Armenians, who insistently live in the past.
At another speech somebody mentioned to include Israel in NATO. They said it is the similarity of ideas and the government style rather than the geographic location of the country. I wonder why no one accepted this concept, but argued about how many percent of our land lies in the European Continent, and how much in Asia, while considering Turkey's EU membership many years ago?
President Bush finished his speech saying "God bless Turkey and God continue to bless America", a slight deviation from his published speech.
A foreign media person asked RecepTayyip Erdogan why there was only one woman cabinet member in his government. Tayyip remarked on how keen this newscaster was, because he gave a total count of how many female government heads, how many high level bureaucrats, and media persons were at that meeting. Tayyip said that he is working on increasing the number, and that he had not noticed the number of other women around him.
On another unrelated event, the European Court of Human Rights today found Turkey not guilty of forcing female students into the class room without a head cover at the universities. One newscaster asked RTE to remark on that and he suggested not to touch the subject at that instant.
The ECHR found Turkey guilty of evacuating villages in the South East for security reasons, but decided not to pass a verdict yet on the huge reparation price of $5 million they asked.
At night Recep Tayyip gave an interview to a TV station in Topkapi Palace gardens with the Bosphorus as the backdrop. First question asked was, "G. W. Bush asked why you are not using this palace as the government center. Are you considering?" RTE replied, all guests were surprised when they heard that this palace was kept as a museum. They also noticed that the Topkapi is a modest palace, but Dolmabahce is more grand. (I guess they did not see the Harem section of the Topkapi Palace. It is just as grand as the Dolambahce Palace.) Tayyip said that it would be disrespectful to the older owners.
Before G. W. Bush's arrival, Turkish public opinion was raised to expect that he may announce news like "passenger flights or imports from Northern Cyprus can resume". During the meeting Turkish officials brought forward that a speedy solution must be brought to the Cyprus problem, now that the Greek side has demonstrated their desire not to unite with a 75% No vote.
Also, some conspiracy theories like he will ask for bases in unrelated parts of Turkey, like Trabzon on the Black Sea Coast, and in Istanbul. No such announcements came. Only the protesters ranks were swollen with these fears.
Bi-lateral meetings took place during the summit. Also, President Bush met with 5 -6 religious leaders in Istanbul. Georgia's Saakashvili requested the Turkish Georgian border to become free. Turkish commentators spoke favorably of the request.
Armenian President Kocharian refused to attend the NATO Summit. I am guessing that he is afraid of making commitments. Their External Affairs Minister Vartan Oskanian represented Armenia. Turkish Minister of External Affairs, A. Gul met with his Azeri counterpart, and then Mr. Oskanian, and then all three met in the afternoon. At the press conference Oskanian said that immediate opening of the Turkish Armenian border should not be expected. He mentioned that the Turkish public needs to be prepared. I wonder why he did not mention preparing the Armenian public and the governors? A win - win solution must come for any agreement to be lasting.
The Azerbaijanis and Armenians decided to meet regularly to discuss what they called the Karabaqh problem. Azerbaijani Minister requested that the meetings should have a planned context. I guess he is tired of unrelated demands brought forward. Their next meeting is expected to be at the UN meeting in NY in September.
All that has emerged in the last two days, makes me believe that Turkey definitely has the potential to be a leader in the region and the Islamic World. Why bother with the EU?
ka-PING!
This was supposed to go into the Editorial section. Apologies for any inconvenience.
"After all, Turkey is a laic (secular) country where people of various faiths have lived harmoniously for centuries."
Please ignore the dead Armenian and Greek Christians on your way into this BSfest....
Fatma did a good job! And thanks for the ping.
"by the misuse of religion, religious sentiment, or things that are religiously considered as holy, in any way incite the people to action prejudical to the state, or form associations for that purpose... Political associations or religious sentiments many not be formed."
Most of this Armenian-Greek stuff is the wailing of those who are angry that Anatolia wasn't dismembered along ethnic and religious lines during and following World War One, and can be dismissed for empirical reasons. For example, the Turks are supposed to have killed more people than were actually living there at the time, and the numbers keep growing. The dead don't multiply themselves, despite Armenian protestations to the contrary.
No one denies the relocations, no one denies that there was dreadful human suffering, but for the sake of the memory of the dead, get the numbers right, at least.
So you're saying you don't think the Armenian genocide ever happened?
No one in Turkey denies that lots of folks died horribly during relocations during WWI. No one disputes that there was a "Trail of Tears." What is disputed is the allegation that there was a politically mandated, bureaucratically administered policy of mass murder, which is what genocide actually is.
When everything becomes genocide, then nothing is really genocide, and the word becomes mere grist to be ground in amy ideological mill. In this case, the large numbers of Turks killed in the same period in the same manner are ignored.
Taken together, all this tells me that the word genocide is thrown around for the emotional connotations it creates, instead of an accurate description of what happened.
I agree with a lot of what you wrote, but that doesn't counter the fact that the Ottoman Turks had a terrible policy that ended up killing a very narrowly defined group of people.
It shows that the statement that Turkey has been a place of tolerance for hundreds of years is a flat out lie.
Mortimer Snavely's last post. What a good one it was, too.....
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