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Al-Ahram Weekly 31 August - 6 September 2000 Issue No. 497 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 31 August - 6 September 2000 Issue No. 497
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Turkish delight, Israeli designs
By Gareth JenkinsIsraeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak paid a brief visit to Ankara on 28 August, amid Israeli concerns about a cooling in relations between the two countries. The visit sought to redress Israeli companies' failure to secure lucrative defence contracts, but also to pander to Turkish ambitions to become an impartial "facilitator" in the stalled Middle East peace negotiations.
Barak's visit came five days after Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem travelled to the Palestinian Authority to meet with President Yasser Arafat. Turkish officials reported that Cem presented Arafat with a set of proposals for the administration of Jerusalem, citing practices under Ottoman rule. The timing of the two visits has raised hopes in Turkey that Ankara is finally going to recapture some of its past Ottoman glory by becoming a regional power.
"Ankara to secure peace," headlined leading daily Radikal on Tuesday after Barak's visit. "Cem leads the most effective and successful regional diplomatic offensive in the Turkish republic's history. Barak visits Ankara to discuss the Turkish formula approved by Arafat."
But reality appears to be a little different. Arab-Turkish relations have long been overshadowed by Ankara's often condescending attitude to its former Ottoman provinces. But not only is there no indication that Arafat has accepted Cem's proposals, but any reference to Ottoman archives can only set alarm bells in Israel as Ottoman title deeds conclusively support Arab claims, denied by Israel, to land ownership.
In fact, during his visit to Ankara, Barak made only a passing reference to the Middle East process and then it was to encourage Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit to persuade Arafat to accept that he could expect no concessions from Israel. "We want peace," said Barak. "Tell this to Arafat. It would be bad if we were to fail to ensure peace. We will not take a step back on Jerusalem."
Barak's main purpose in visiting Ankara appears to have been to try to reinvigorate defence industry ties between the two countries, following a series of setbacks for Israeli defence firms bidding for nearly $4 billion worth of contracts to modernise the Turkish armed forces. In early August, reportedly under pressure from France and the United States, Turkey abruptly rescinded a commitment to award Israeli firms two contracts, worth a total of $625 million, for the modernisation of 170 M60 tanks and the launch of a spy satellite. There has been speculation in Turkey that one of the reasons for the cooling in relations with Israel was the call earlier this year by two Israeli ministers for Ottoman massacres of Armenians to be taught in schools alongside the Jewish holocaust.
Barak has come under intense domestic pressure for failing to take a more active role in promoting Israeli bids for Turkish defence tenders. Significantly, the delegation that accompanied Barak on his latest trip to Ankara included almost the entire senior staff of the Israeli Defence Ministry. In addition to Ecevit, Barak met with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu, but not Foreign Minister Cem. Turkish officials have also reported that Israeli Chief of Staff Shaul Moffaz is likely to visit Turkey next week, when he is expected to lobby the Turkish General Staff on behalf of the Israeli defence industry.
"Competition for defence deals is tough," Barak admitted after meeting with Ecevit. "We are up against giant nations selling advanced weaponry, which have lots of channels of influence. We are here to convince the Turkish leadership of the comparable advantages our industries can offer."
Israeli defence officials said that they received reassurances from their Turkish counterparts that Israeli companies would still be considered for Turkish defence contracts. They also reported that, in a closed session with Ecevit, Barak suggested that Turkey and Israel cooperate in the face of what he termed the growing missile threat from other countries in the region.
But there is, nevertheless, an increasing awareness in Ankara that if Turkey wants to play a significant role in the region, particularly in the Middle East peace process, it has to be seen as being equidistant between Israel and the Arabs. During his meeting with Barak, Ecevit tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade him to be more flexible over Jerusalem. When asked to comment on Turkey's position on the impasse between Israel and the Palestinians, Defence Minister Cakmakoglu replied: "We approach both Palestine and Israel in an objective and equal manner."
Ankara has also already made it clear that, while it would prefer Arafat to delay his planned declaration of Palestinian statehood, it would recognise the new state. "In any case, we recognised the Palestinian state back in the 1980s," commented a Turkish Foreign Ministry official. "We can't, and won't, go back on that."
