Turkey next stop for top US envoy
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Fulya Özerkan
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 30, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - Officials say FM Babacan will not be returning from Davos, where he is attending the World Economic Forum, until Sunday and on the basis of information provided by sources, the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review learns the FM is likely to meet with Mitchell in Istanbul on Sunday.
The new U.S Middle East envoy is expected in Turkey over the weekend as part of a regional tour to shore up a shaky Gaza truce and revive the Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, it has been learned.
This will be the first trip of former Sen. George Mitchell to Turkey as the envoy for President Barack Obama's administration.
Turkish officials said Foreign Minister Ali Babacan would not be returning from Davos, where he is attending the World Economic Forum, until Sunday, and the Hürriyet Daily New & Economic Review has concluded Ğ based on information provided by sources Ğ that Babacan is very likely to meet Mitchell in Istanbul on Sunday. Turkey welcomed the appointment by Washington of a special envoy for the Middle East as a positive development, with President Abdullah Gül calling it a "window of opportunity." Babacan recently said a possible trip by Mitchell to Turkey had been discussed during his telephone conversation with the new U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
Foreign Ministry briefs EU diplomats
The veteran U.S. official, who helped broker peace in Northern Ireland in 1998 with the Good Friday agreement, began his regional tour Tuesday. After talks with leaders in Egypt and Israel, he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday. He is likely to also visit Saudi Arabia and Jordon, sources say, but Syria was not currently on his schedule.
Turkey engaged in active diplomacy to end the Israeli military operation and to reach a lasting cease-fire but was accused of adopting a pro-Hamas position. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's strong rhetoric against Israel throughout the Gaza crisis caused reaction from Tel-Aviv and Jewish lobbies in the United States.
In his recent statements, Babacan repeatedly called on Hamas to make a choice between being an armed organization and a political movemen.
The Daily News has learned that Turkish Foreign Ministry diplomats briefed the ambassadors of European Union member states in Ankara about the policy pursued by the government during the Israeli-Palestinian violence. The diplomats made clear that Turkey was not standing on one side of the equation and that it was in favor of dialogue with all regional actors, including Hamas, for peace in the Middle East.
"I think what's very important is that Obama has signaled the importance of addressing the Middle East problem earlier in his administration rather than at the end, which has been the custom. That's important," Joost Hiltermann, deputy program director for the Middle East of the International Crisis Group, told the Daily News. "And by appointing, if he in fact does, a man such as George Mitchell is again a very encouraging signal. If he keeps up taking the right steps and keeps up the momentum then we could see some progress" he said.
U.S. Ambassador to Ankara James Jeffrey highlighted Mitchell's appointment as one of the examples demonstrating Obama's active belief that disagreements can be handled through dialogue. "Special Envoy Mitchell is traveling to Europe and the Middle East to hear from key parties concerned and to listen carefully so that there is a greater understanding of the overall situation in the region," he said in a statement posted on the Web site of the embassy yesterday.
This will be the first trip of former Sen. George Mitchell to Turkey as the envoy for President Barack Obama's administration.
Turkish officials said Foreign Minister Ali Babacan would not be returning from Davos, where he is attending the World Economic Forum, until Sunday, and the Hürriyet Daily New & Economic Review has concluded Ğ based on information provided by sources Ğ that Babacan is very likely to meet Mitchell in Istanbul on Sunday. Turkey welcomed the appointment by Washington of a special envoy for the Middle East as a positive development, with President Abdullah Gül calling it a "window of opportunity." Babacan recently said a possible trip by Mitchell to Turkey had been discussed during his telephone conversation with the new U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
Foreign Ministry briefs EU diplomats
The veteran U.S. official, who helped broker peace in Northern Ireland in 1998 with the Good Friday agreement, began his regional tour Tuesday. After talks with leaders in Egypt and Israel, he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday. He is likely to also visit Saudi Arabia and Jordon, sources say, but Syria was not currently on his schedule.
Turkey engaged in active diplomacy to end the Israeli military operation and to reach a lasting cease-fire but was accused of adopting a pro-Hamas position. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's strong rhetoric against Israel throughout the Gaza crisis caused reaction from Tel-Aviv and Jewish lobbies in the United States.
In his recent statements, Babacan repeatedly called on Hamas to make a choice between being an armed organization and a political movemen.
The Daily News has learned that Turkish Foreign Ministry diplomats briefed the ambassadors of European Union member states in Ankara about the policy pursued by the government during the Israeli-Palestinian violence. The diplomats made clear that Turkey was not standing on one side of the equation and that it was in favor of dialogue with all regional actors, including Hamas, for peace in the Middle East.
"I think what's very important is that Obama has signaled the importance of addressing the Middle East problem earlier in his administration rather than at the end, which has been the custom. That's important," Joost Hiltermann, deputy program director for the Middle East of the International Crisis Group, told the Daily News. "And by appointing, if he in fact does, a man such as George Mitchell is again a very encouraging signal. If he keeps up taking the right steps and keeps up the momentum then we could see some progress" he said.
U.S. Ambassador to Ankara James Jeffrey highlighted Mitchell's appointment as one of the examples demonstrating Obama's active belief that disagreements can be handled through dialogue. "Special Envoy Mitchell is traveling to Europe and the Middle East to hear from key parties concerned and to listen carefully so that there is a greater understanding of the overall situation in the region," he said in a statement posted on the Web site of the embassy yesterday.