Impending War Against Iraq
"The byword of war is uncertainty and surprise"
By Bruce Fein* - The Government of Turkey holds well founded reservations against the impending liberation of Iraq from the clutches of Saddam Hussein by the United States. But the potential advantages for Turkey of a new Iraqi dispensation friendly to democracy and human rights and stripped of weapons of mass destruction should not be shortchanged in determining the scope of its involvement with the United States war effort. More

UN Cyprus Plan: Solution or Delusion?
By Prof. Clement Dodd* Distributed by Turkish Forum - There is a good deal of euphoria at the prospect of a settlement of the Cyprus dispute on the basis of the new UN Plan. It has been welcomed by all major states and by the European Union as a way forward, the last opportunity for a solution. Commentators in the Turkish press have seen it as clearing a way for Turkey's entry into the European Union, firmly believing that the lack of a Cyprus settlement is a, or the, major obstacle. More

Iraq showdown leaves Turkey in a quandary
"At the end of the first Gulf War there were two big losers - one was Iraq and the other was Turkey"
By Charles A. Radin, Boston Globe, January 27, 2003, ANKARA, Turkey - Even more than usual, Turkey is being torn between the Middle East and the West, between modern secularism and Muslim traditionalism, by the prospective American attack on Iraq. More than 80 percent of the population, and both major parties in Parliament, are opposed to following the United States into such a conflict. At the same time, Turks from the streets to the elites say current American efforts to enlist Turkish participation in an assault on Saddam Hussein could very well succeed. More

Ending the Conflict in Cyprus
"The obvious basis for a solution is a plan proposed by the U.N. secretary general, Kofi Annan"
The New York Times, January 7, 2003 - The divided Mediter-ranean island of Cyprus, long contorted by tensions between Turkey and Greece, can look forward to a more promising future if the Turkish Cypriot leadership accepts a United Nations peace plan. Under the plan, already welcomed by the Greek side, a united Cyprus could join the European Union next year. That would benefit Cypriots from both communities and open the way for early Turkish admission to the union. If the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktas, succeeds in blocking the agreement, the pain and unfairness of Cyprus's armed partition could be locked in for years to come. More

Burden rests on Greeks to solve "Cyprus problem"
REP. DAN BURTON, House Committee on International Relations, Washington, D.C.
On Dec. 19, The Washington Times printed an Op-Ed column by Rep. Rush Holt, New Jersey Democrat, titled "History can still be made: Europe should usher Turkey into the Union." In it, he asserts that the "Cyprus problem" must be solved. (Since 1974, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has governed the northern third of the island, while the Republic of Cyprus (ROC) has governed the southern two-thirds of the island.) He then cites the European Union's recent failure to give Turkey a firm date to begin EU accession negotiations and asserts that Turkey needs to "push Turkish Cypriot leader [Rauf] Denktash to broker a compromise solution on Cyprus" if it ever hopes to join the European Union. More

Formula for Stability: Turkey Plus Israel
By Çevik Bir and Martin Sherman, Middle East Quarterly Fall 2002(excerpts) www.meforum.org - PART 1 of 2 - The 1990s loom like the lost decade in the Middle East. The carefully-constructed house of cards known as the Arab-Israeli "peace process" lies in a heap. Saddam Husayn still menaces his neighbors and the region. And the prime export of the region, aside from oil, is fundamentalist-fueled terror, whose recent performance in Manhattan wrenched the city's tallest buildings from its skyline. In the balance sheet of stability, the 1990s left the Middle East in the red. But at the top of the plus column is one indisputable achievement: the Israeli-Turkish relationship. More

LETTERS

"South Carolina Should Proclaim April 23rd as the Turkish Children's Day" From: YUKSEL OKTAY To: governor@govoepp.state.sc.us Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2003 1:50 AM Subject: State of the State Address and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk January 30, 2003 Honorable Governor Mark Sanford, Governor's Mansion Columbia, South Carolina In your State of South Carolina State Address, you were absolutely correct in your assessment of Ataturk, very much the way former House Speaker Gingrich did several years ago when he praised Ataturk's educational reforms among others. In his book "On Leadership", Mr. John W. Gardner lists fourteen attributes for effective leadership, including physical vitality and stamina, intelligence, willingness to accept responsibilities and probably the most important one, adaptability and flexibility of approach. For the last attribute, Mr. Gardner presents Kemal Ataturk as the model and states: More Azeri gratitude for U.S. Extension the Waiver of Section 907 The Honorable President of the United States 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20510 Dear Mr. President: On behalf of all the members and friends of Azerbaijan Society of America, please accept our gratitude for extending the Waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act. As Azerbaijani-Americans, we knew you act upon the national-interests of our country, instead of some outspoken special-interests groups. We knew, when we voted for you, building a strong nation and ensuring peace in the new millennium in the global marketplace was going to be your primary challenge. We believed your determination for ensuring global peace meant that America, "the only super-power in the world," can respond to aggressors who determine that they will unexpectedly force their neighbors and rape the natural resources of the land. We believe, you will ask the foreign demagogues to consider the cost and loss before violating the rights of its neighbors. We believe, you will recognize and appreciate all the nations who are unconditionally supporting our nation. More

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