Barrack Hussein Obama hit the jackpot during his visit to Turkey when he was introduced with stress on his rarely used middle name to the Turkish parliament and, in response, the visiting American president assured the legislators that the United States is not at war with Islam.
Likewise, Turkey’s recently acquired role, as a much-needed bridge for some feuding Middle Eastern nations, won high praise from Obama, a gesture that contrasted sharply with the failed US policies during the Bush administration.
“The United States has been enriched by Muslim-Americans,” Obama told the parliamentarians in Ankara.
“Many other Americans have Muslims in their family, or have lived in a Muslim-majority country. I know, because I am one of them,” he said.
As soon as the interpreter translated these lines, loud applause followed.
Also, in a straightforward response to a student at a town hall meeting in Istanbul, the visiting American president was unbelievably clear about his support for a Palestinian state, only days after the new, hawkish, Israeli government took office, shockingly without committing itself to a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The American president told the students: “I believe that peace in the Middle East is possible. I think it will be based on two states, side by side: a Palestinian state and a Jewish state. I think in order to achieve that, both sides are going to have to make compromises.
“I think we have a sense of what those compromises should be and will be. Now what we need is political will and courage on the part of leadership. And it is not the United States’ role or Turkey’s role to tell people what they have to do, but we can be good friends in encouraging them to move the dialogue forward.”
These comforting words must be deafening the naysayers, but there are some who still need more convincing, if not action.
A commentator in the leading Arabic daily Al Hayat said that he has yet to see an “indication of [the] great change” in US policies.
“Many of the policies remain the same, even if in a milder form to the Turkish parliament and with the use of more polite language.”
Obama’s visit to Turkey, his first as president to a predominantly Muslim state, was seen as an attempt to bestow the seal of approval on the country’s distinctive policies. Turkey’s newfound regional approach came, some believe, in reaction to the European Union procrastination vis-à-vis Turkey’s long-desired membership.
Consequently, Turkey’s able prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has underlined his government’s singular role as matchmaker in the region, as when he brokered secret negotiations between Israel and Syria, especially that the political climate within Turkey has become more sympathetic to its neighbours and critical of Washington.
But these behind-the-scenes talks were nixed when the Israeli army unexpectedly invaded Gaza Strip earlier this year. Although Turkey took a stiff stand against Israel after the invasion, as when Erdogan walked out of the Davos conference after he confronted Israeli President Shimon Peres over the killing in Gaza, the long-held relationship between the two countries survived.
Similarly, Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has been involved in reaching out to Turkey’s neighbours - Iraq, Iran and even Armenia - at one point reportedly carrying a message from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the Iranian leaders within 48 hours after her visit to Ankara.
In recognition of Turkey’s growing importance in the region and its secular democratic structure, Obama came all out for its membership in the EU, despite opposition from France and Germany. Moreover, the president was careful not to add oil to the fire when he spoke about the Armenian genocide in 1915, a touchy subject in Turkey, pointing out only that both Turkey and Armenia are now reviewing the historical record about the subject.
During the election campaign, Obama pledged to recognise the Armenian genocide.
Obama is also aware that Turkey, as a member of the Atlantic alliance, has the second largest military contingent within NATO. The American air base at Incirlik provides crucial logistic support for American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite Turkey’s earlier opposition to opening its territory for American troops invading Iraq.
The Obama administration obviously realises that Turkey has the potential to play a constructive role in the region since it might take time for the US to repair its damaged stature in the region. And the American president appears anxious to keep the ball rolling in the Middle East, an objective he will undoubtedly pursue when he will reportedly visit Israel and the Palestinian territories, in June.
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