Gul's tour of several Arab capitals highlights the Turkish will to improve relations with Arab countries, Dina Ezzat reports In the first visit ever made by a Turkish prime minister to the Arab League, Abdullah Gul explicitly stated his country's interest in building bridges with Arab countries. By making this declaration at the Arab League, Ankara sent a clear signal to Arab governments about its interest in improving Arab- Turkish rapport. "This visit is a very important initiative by the Turkish prime minister. We have so much to discuss, including offering Turkey observer status in the Arab League," said Arab League Secretary- General Amr Moussa following two rounds of talks with Gul. The Turkish prime minister's address to the Arab League on Sunday came within the context of a tour that included talks in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, in Sharm El-Sheikh with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and in Amman with Jordan's King Abdullah. The focus of the tour was clear: coordinating Arab and Turkish efforts to contain the threats of a US military action against Iraq. "We are very concerned about the issue of Iraq. We are together in this region and we have to work together and exert every possible effort to solve this problem in a peaceful way," Gul said on Sunday evening at a joint press conference with Moussa. The Turkish PM expressed similar sentiments during every leg of his Arab tour. Sources on both the Arab and Turkish sides confirmed that Iraq topped Gul's agenda throughout his tour. Both sides agree that a US military action against Iraq would "open the gates of hell" in this part of the world. Turkey is worried that a US military action against Iraq would mean a huge influx of refugees, long-term instability in a neighbouring country and, worst of all, a Kurdish uprising on the Iraqi-Turkish border that could lead to the establishment of a Kurdish state -- something that Ankara would fight hard to prevent. Arab states, for their part, have manifold concerns related to a US military action against Iraq, at the forefront of which is the potential for a war to cause long-term political instability throughout much of the Arab world that might open the door to widespread and, potentially uncontainable public anger. Worst of all, though, is the possibility that Israel might intervene in the war against Iraq or seize the opportunity of a war to escalate its already high level of violence against Palestinians. "So, we both have our reasons for working hard to prevent this war. The reasons are different but they could lead to a joint effort... serious and deep cooperation," commented a senior Arab official. He added that discussions between Gul and Arab officials included some "very daring ideas" about how Arabs and Turkey could work together to secure a peaceful end to the crisis. And while the nature of these ideas have not been revealed, Turkish sources said they include suggestions that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party, discussed in Washington during a recent visit. The question today is not whether attempts to avert a war on Iraq will succeed -- although some senior officials are optimistic that something might be worked out -- but pertains to the future of Arab--Turkish relations beyond the Iraqi crisis. Some on each side are hoping that this cooperation, especially if it culminates in a peaceful end to the Iraqi impasse, would pave the way for much warmer Turkish-Arab relations, particularly in view of the political line adopted by the current Turkish government and the vast potential for economic cooperation with Turkey. Others are less optimistic. They refer to the disappointment following high expectations of a breakthrough in Arab-Turkish ties in the late 1990s, when Egyptian diplomacy successfully managed to contain a huge Turkish-Syrian security conflict that brought the neighbours to the brink of war. Many would argue that the evolution of these relations depends a great deal on whether current Arab-Turkish efforts secure a peaceful end to the Iraqi crisis. But this is not the only element that will determine the future of these relations. Turkish officials complain that the Arabs are not reciprocating Ankara's good-will gestures, including invitations extended to several Arab leaders to visit Turkey for which Ankara is still awaiting responses. They also said that for years "when the international power-play allowed it" some Arab countries, particularly Syria, were involved in supporting political groups that aimed to undermine Turkey's political stability. Arabs, for the most part, say they are apprehensive about moving closer to Turkey because of its close military rapport with Tel Aviv -- a relationship that bears mark of US blessings. But there are other factors disposing Arab governments to be circumspect about relations with Ankara. Turkey is a NATO member and a would-be EU- member; Turkish troops periodically make incursions into areas of Iraq that are under the US-UK imposed no-fly zones and it also has water disputes with both Iraq and Syria. During the past five years, Arab League meetings, both at the summit and foreign minister levels, adopted resolutions protesting against the ambiguous Turkish-Israeli military cooperation and its impact on Arab strategic interests. These Arab meetings, including the last Arab summit in Beirut, adopted resolutions to protest against Turkey's development of the Euphrates River that might impinge on the shares of river discharge allocated to Syria and Iraq. Turkish diplomats were well-prepared to respond to these concerns. On Syria, Gul repeatedly stated this week that his country's relations with Damascus are improving to the extent that the potential exists for them to resolve their disputes in a manner that would be mutually beneficial. On Israel, Turkish diplomats said that since the new government took office a few weeks ago, four Israeli delegations have visited Ankara while not a single Arab official has made the trip. In recent press statements, Moussa pledged that during 2003 the Arab League will accelerate its effort to build bridges with Turkey. And Gul reportedly responded with enthusiasm to Moussa's suggestion of a series of meetings on political, economic and cultural areas of Arab-Turkish cooperation. But all this good-will alone is insufficient: without serious political will on the part of Arab capitals to improve relations with Turkey, efforts by the Arab League are unlikely to bear fruit. In an article published by Al-Ahram on Monday, political analyst Hassan Abu-Talib criticised the coolness of many Arab capitals towards Turkey and urged Arab officials to seek closer rapport with Ankara. Whether the Arabs will reciprocate Turkey's good-will gestures remains to be seen, however, the ball is now clearly in the Arabs' court.
