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TURKISH FM TO DISCUSS SYRIA IN J'LEM
By Herb Keinon
Jerusalem Post
Oct 7 2007
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan is scheduled to arrive in Israel
on Sunday following a brief visit to Damascus. High on his agenda
in Jerusalem will be Israel's air strike on Syria last month and the
American Jewish community's stand on whether the World War I killing
of Armenians constituted genocide.
Babacan arrived in Damascus on Saturday, and was scheduled to hold
talks during his visit there with President Bashar Assad and Foreign
Minister Farouk Shara.
His visit to Damascus came as ABC News quoted American officials
over the weekend as saying that the IAF raid on Syria was planned
for several months and was postponed a number of times due to heavy
US pressure.
According to the report, Israel presented US officials with satellite
imagery which clearly showed North Korean nuclear technology in a
Syrian facility.
According to a US source, Washington officials were astonished by
the imagery and by the fact US intelligence had not picked up on the
facility previously.
"Israel tends to be very thorough about its intelligence coverage,
particularly when it takes a major military step, so they would not
have acted without data from several sources," said ABC News military
consultant Tony Cordesman.
A different source told ABC News that Israel had planned the strike
as early as July 14, and in confidential meetings with high-ranking
US officials, debated the appropriate response.
Several officials supported Israel's decision to strike, although
others, led by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, firmly opposed
it and offered to publicly condemn Syria for operating a nuclear
facility instead.
US officials who initially opposed the raid, according to ABC ,
apparently feared the negative influence it might have over the
whole region.
Consequently, officials in Washington persuaded Israel to push back
the raid, but in September, Israel feared that information about the
facility might be leaked to the press, and went ahead with the strike,
despite objections by Washington.
After the strike, fuel tanks were found on the Turkish side of its
border with Syria, something that led to protests to Israel from
the Turkish foreign ministry. Babacan, who at the time said "this
situation is unacceptable for Turkey," also said that Israel promised
a quick investigation of a possible violation of Turkish airspace.
Babacan was greeted at Damascus Airport Saturday by assistant
foreign minister, Abdul-Fattah Ammora. In addition to Israel and the
Palestinian Authority, he is also expected to visit Jordan during
this Middle East swing.
This is Babacan's first visit to the region since being appointed
foreign minister in August, replacing Abdullah Gul, who was elected
Turkey's president.
He visited Israel for the first time in 2004 as Turkey's minister of
state for economic affairs.
Turkish media reports have said Babacan is expected to play a mediating
role between Syria and Israel. If so, he has his work cut out for
him, as A-Baath, the official newspaper of President Bashar Assad's
government, warned Saturday that Syria would not hesitate to start
a war with Israel to restore its control over the Golan Heights.
In an article to mark 34 years since the outbreak of the Yom Kippur
War, A-Baath said: "Our people and our leadership are determined to
liberate our conquered lands using all means, methods and ways."
Babacan was expected to discuss the US-sponsored Mideast peace
conference planned for later this year both with his Syrian, Israeli
and PA hosts. Syria has said it will not attend the conference if
the Golan issue were not addressed.
Babacan did not make any comments upon his arrival in Damascus,
but before departing Turkey he said: "The region is going through a
sensitive time and we are facing problems, primarily the Palestinian
issue and developments in Iraq that could affect the entire region."
"Turkey will continue its efforts and contributions for the
establishment of peace and stability in the region," he said.
Alongside Syria, Babacan is expected to talk with his Israeli
interlocutors about legislation that will come before the US House
Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that would declare the World
War I era killings of Armenians a genocide. While this measure comes
before Congress every year, this time it seems to have enough votes
to pass both the committee and the full House.
In August, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reversed its long-standing
position on the issue, and said that the events of that period were
tantamount to genocide. At the same time, the organization said it
opposed legislation on the matter.
Jewish organizations in Washington - because of the close
Turkish-Israeli ties - have traditionally lobbied against this piece
of legislation, and in August Turkey's ambassador to Israel Namik
Tan told The Jerusalem Post that Turkey expected Israel to "deliver"
American Jewish organizations and ensure that the US Congress did
not pass the resolution.
Tan said he understood that Israel's position on the matter had
not changed - which is that Turkey and Armenia should resolve their
differences over this matter through dialogue - but "Israel should
not let the [US] Jewish community change its position. This is our
expectation and this is highly important, highly important."
Turkish and American officials have been pressing lawmakers to reject
the measure, and on Friday US President George W. Bush and Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked by telephone about their
opposition to the legislation.
The dispute involves the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Armenians
during the waning years of the Ottoman Empire.
Armenian advocates, backed by many historians, contend the Armenians
died in an organized genocide. The Turks say the Armenians were victims
of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown as the 600-year-old
empire collapsed in the years before Turkey was born in 1923.
Though the largely symbolic measure would have no binding effect on
US foreign policy, its passage could nonetheless damage an already
strained relationship with Turkey.
After France voted last year to make denial of Armenian genocide a
crime, the Turkish government ended military ties.
Many in the US fear that a public backlash in Turkey could lead to
restrictions on crucial supply routes through Turkey to Iraq and
Afghanistan and the closure of Incirlik, a strategic air base in
Turkey used by the United States. In Israel, too, there is concern
that passage of the bill could harm Israeli-Turkish ties.
During his two-day stay in Israel, Babacan will meet President Shimon
Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni,
Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Likud head Binyamin Netanyahu. He
will also go to Ramallah for talks with PA President Mahmoud Abbas
and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayad.
By Herb Keinon
Jerusalem Post
Oct 7 2007
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan is scheduled to arrive in Israel
on Sunday following a brief visit to Damascus. High on his agenda
in Jerusalem will be Israel's air strike on Syria last month and the
American Jewish community's stand on whether the World War I killing
of Armenians constituted genocide.
Babacan arrived in Damascus on Saturday, and was scheduled to hold
talks during his visit there with President Bashar Assad and Foreign
Minister Farouk Shara.
His visit to Damascus came as ABC News quoted American officials
over the weekend as saying that the IAF raid on Syria was planned
for several months and was postponed a number of times due to heavy
US pressure.
According to the report, Israel presented US officials with satellite
imagery which clearly showed North Korean nuclear technology in a
Syrian facility.
According to a US source, Washington officials were astonished by
the imagery and by the fact US intelligence had not picked up on the
facility previously.
"Israel tends to be very thorough about its intelligence coverage,
particularly when it takes a major military step, so they would not
have acted without data from several sources," said ABC News military
consultant Tony Cordesman.
A different source told ABC News that Israel had planned the strike
as early as July 14, and in confidential meetings with high-ranking
US officials, debated the appropriate response.
Several officials supported Israel's decision to strike, although
others, led by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, firmly opposed
it and offered to publicly condemn Syria for operating a nuclear
facility instead.
US officials who initially opposed the raid, according to ABC ,
apparently feared the negative influence it might have over the
whole region.
Consequently, officials in Washington persuaded Israel to push back
the raid, but in September, Israel feared that information about the
facility might be leaked to the press, and went ahead with the strike,
despite objections by Washington.
After the strike, fuel tanks were found on the Turkish side of its
border with Syria, something that led to protests to Israel from
the Turkish foreign ministry. Babacan, who at the time said "this
situation is unacceptable for Turkey," also said that Israel promised
a quick investigation of a possible violation of Turkish airspace.
Babacan was greeted at Damascus Airport Saturday by assistant
foreign minister, Abdul-Fattah Ammora. In addition to Israel and the
Palestinian Authority, he is also expected to visit Jordan during
this Middle East swing.
This is Babacan's first visit to the region since being appointed
foreign minister in August, replacing Abdullah Gul, who was elected
Turkey's president.
He visited Israel for the first time in 2004 as Turkey's minister of
state for economic affairs.
Turkish media reports have said Babacan is expected to play a mediating
role between Syria and Israel. If so, he has his work cut out for
him, as A-Baath, the official newspaper of President Bashar Assad's
government, warned Saturday that Syria would not hesitate to start
a war with Israel to restore its control over the Golan Heights.
In an article to mark 34 years since the outbreak of the Yom Kippur
War, A-Baath said: "Our people and our leadership are determined to
liberate our conquered lands using all means, methods and ways."
Babacan was expected to discuss the US-sponsored Mideast peace
conference planned for later this year both with his Syrian, Israeli
and PA hosts. Syria has said it will not attend the conference if
the Golan issue were not addressed.
Babacan did not make any comments upon his arrival in Damascus,
but before departing Turkey he said: "The region is going through a
sensitive time and we are facing problems, primarily the Palestinian
issue and developments in Iraq that could affect the entire region."
"Turkey will continue its efforts and contributions for the
establishment of peace and stability in the region," he said.
Alongside Syria, Babacan is expected to talk with his Israeli
interlocutors about legislation that will come before the US House
Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that would declare the World
War I era killings of Armenians a genocide. While this measure comes
before Congress every year, this time it seems to have enough votes
to pass both the committee and the full House.
In August, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reversed its long-standing
position on the issue, and said that the events of that period were
tantamount to genocide. At the same time, the organization said it
opposed legislation on the matter.
Jewish organizations in Washington - because of the close
Turkish-Israeli ties - have traditionally lobbied against this piece
of legislation, and in August Turkey's ambassador to Israel Namik
Tan told The Jerusalem Post that Turkey expected Israel to "deliver"
American Jewish organizations and ensure that the US Congress did
not pass the resolution.
Tan said he understood that Israel's position on the matter had
not changed - which is that Turkey and Armenia should resolve their
differences over this matter through dialogue - but "Israel should
not let the [US] Jewish community change its position. This is our
expectation and this is highly important, highly important."
Turkish and American officials have been pressing lawmakers to reject
the measure, and on Friday US President George W. Bush and Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked by telephone about their
opposition to the legislation.
The dispute involves the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Armenians
during the waning years of the Ottoman Empire.
Armenian advocates, backed by many historians, contend the Armenians
died in an organized genocide. The Turks say the Armenians were victims
of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown as the 600-year-old
empire collapsed in the years before Turkey was born in 1923.
Though the largely symbolic measure would have no binding effect on
US foreign policy, its passage could nonetheless damage an already
strained relationship with Turkey.
After France voted last year to make denial of Armenian genocide a
crime, the Turkish government ended military ties.
Many in the US fear that a public backlash in Turkey could lead to
restrictions on crucial supply routes through Turkey to Iraq and
Afghanistan and the closure of Incirlik, a strategic air base in
Turkey used by the United States. In Israel, too, there is concern
that passage of the bill could harm Israeli-Turkish ties.
During his two-day stay in Israel, Babacan will meet President Shimon
Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni,
Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Likud head Binyamin Netanyahu. He
will also go to Ramallah for talks with PA President Mahmoud Abbas
and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayad.