Forestalling the war option
Key players in the region are consulting on how to avoid a devastating war. Nevine Khalil reports from Sharm El-Sheikh
Like other countries in the region, Turkey -- which is slated to play a vital role in an upcoming war against Iraq -- would rather seek all other options before acquiescing to a military confrontation between Washington and Baghdad. Turkey's Prime Minister Abdullah Gul made this message very clear during a regional tour this week which took him to Syria, Egypt and Jordan. He is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, another Arab heavyweight, at the end of the month to further expound on the issue of avoiding war.
During talks with President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm El-Sheikh on Sunday, Gul emphasised the responsibilities that every regional player has in trying to avoid the devastating and destructive repercussions of war in Iraq. Gul said "a war will be very costly for the region."
Gul told reporters that the meeting with Mubarak did not involve a discussion of the New Year's day air and naval manoeuvres involving Turkish, US and Israeli forces in the eastern Mediterranean, or the US idea of exiling Saddam Hussein. Gul also avoided questions relating to the extent to which his country would facilitate US strikes against Iraq, repeatedly saying: "Let's try to avoid the war first."
Turkey, a key NATO ally of the US and the only Muslim member of the North Atlantic alliance, has come under increasing US pressure to throw its weight behind US plans for a possible war. US warplanes mounted raids from Turkish bases in the 1991 Gulf War, and have since used them to patrol a no-fly zone in northern Iraq.
Turkey is also very concerned about the division of Iraq, especially the possibility of a Kurdish entity in the country's northern region, which would spark more separatist activities by Turkey's Kurdish minority. Gul noted that "the integrity of Iraq is very important. We don't want to see Iraq divided."
Gul also distanced himself from statements by his Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis on Friday calling for Saddam's exile as a means of defusing the crisis. When asked by the media to comment, Gul would only impart that "there is always of course some misunderstanding," adding that "to stop the war there should be many ways [other than] exiling Saddam. We should try our best to stop the war."
Egypt also distanced itself from reports that Cairo has been asked to provide asylum to Saddam to prevent the outbreak of war. "This issue is not being raised, we don't know anything about it, and we have nothing to do with it," said Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher on Saturday. According to media reports, British Prime Minister Tony Blair approached Egyptian leaders, while spending his New Year's vacation in Sharm El-Sheikh, with a US proposal for Saddam to go into exile in Egypt. Other destinations suggested for Saddam's asylum are Russia, Belarus, Libya or Mauritania.
In Egypt, Gul noted that all countries in the region "have a responsibility to work hard to avoid a war -- including Iraq," adding that "exchanging views is a continuous process." But Maher dismissed reports that Egypt is coordinating with Turkey and Saudi Arabia to seek a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi crisis, saying that while there are no specific coordination plans, all three sides agree on the necessity of a peaceful alternative. "There is coordination between us and the rest of the Arab countries," noted Maher, but between Egypt and Turkey there are only "discussions" on the issue. Maher believes that a peaceful resolution is within reach, and that any future action on Iraq will be through the Security Council, according to Resolution 1441. "The prevailing interpretation [of Resolution 1441] is that there's an obligation to return to the Security Council [not as a form of] lip service nor to inform the body of a decision that has already been taken," he said.
Among Iraq's responsibilities, said Gul, is to cooperate with the UN weapons inspectors "and prove that Iraq is free of dangerous weapons." This is why Ankara is sending an envoy later this month for direct talks with Iraqi officials. "A state minister is going to Iraq to talk about the situation and to seek peace," Gul told reporters. Highly- placed Egyptian sources said that Turkey is intent on trying all possible peaceful avenues to prevent strikes against Iraq. "They are saying let's not just 'call on' Iraq and the US to end this crisis, but get everybody to make a tangible effort," the source said. "That's why they are sending an envoy for direct talks with the Iraqis."
While in Egypt, Gul also held talks with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, who announced after the meeting that Turkey could join the pan- Arab organisation as an observer. "We discussed the possibility that Turkey joins the Arab League as an observer," Moussa told reporters. For his part, Gul said Ankara has decided to "develop" its relations with the Arab countries, stressing the "friendship and brotherly ties" between Turks and Arabs.
The 22-member Arab League had criticised the military defense pact Turkey and Israel signed in 1996, though Ankara has said it is not aimed at any Arab country.
Additional reporting by Soha Abdelaty
