Remarks by Ambassador Eric S. Edelman
US-Turkey Relations: Opportunities for Cooperation in a Changing World
Bilkent University, Ankara
September 29, 2003
“General Babaoglu, General Bir, distinguished guests: I would like to thank
you, General Bir, very much for that introduction, and thank the Turkish
Armed Forces Foundation and CNR for sponsoring this important seminar and
for giving me the opportunity to participate in the International Defense
Industry, Aerospace and Maritime Fair (IDEF).
As many of you know, although I have only recently arrived in Turkey, I am
fortunate to have family roots that date back decades. My grandmother fled
from Russia and troubled times 84 years ago. Turkey sheltered her, made her
feel at home, and it was here that my mother was born a few years later.
Later still, my great uncle taught for 11 years at Ankara University. So I
come to Turkey as someone with close and long-standing ties to this great
nation.
I’d like to address my remarks today to the broad context for opportunities
for U.S.-Turkish cooperation in a changing world. I hope that those
opportunities can build on fifty years of strong cooperation, of strategic
partnership and relations, close military to military relations, and close
industrial cooperation. I’d like to begin my formal comments with a very
direct statement about U.S. interests in Turkey. Among our several strategic
interests here, our most important one is that Turkey be successful – it’s
as simple as that. We want to see a dynamic, prosperous, democratic Turkey,
just as Turks do. Although our countries may not always agree, we are
confident that a strong, vibrant Turkey will be a positive force for freedom
and prosperity in the region and in the world, and will be a country with
which we can work on a wide variety of challenges and opportunities.
The U.S. cannot make Turkey successful – only the people of this nation can
do that. However, I can assure you that my primary focus – and the primary
focus of the U.S. Mission here in Turkey during my tenure – will be to
support Turkey’s efforts to achieve the ambitious economic and political
goals that the Turkish people have set, because in doing so we will also be
advancing America’s interests.
During the Cold War, Turkey was a key bulwark on the southern flank of NATO.
No less today, Turkey’s position in a difficult neighborhood offers the
opportunity to contribute to the major endeavors of U.S. global strategy and
gives it a major interest in the success of our strategy. The United States
of America is committed to promoting freedom and dignity throughout the
world, to working with others to battle the scourge of terrorism and the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and to combating poverty and
deadly diseases. Because we believe in peace, we are engaged in many places
in the world to achieve solutions to regional conflicts. We do so not out of
simple benevolence, but because recent history has demonstrated that we
cannot practice our democracy and guarantee our citizens’ security and
prosperity if we have regions of the world where citizens are oppressed or
without hope for a better life. Our domestic foreign policy debate in the
United States is no longer about whether the United States can stay isolated
from the world, but rather how the U.S. should engage with the world.
September 11, the Global War on Terrorism and Afghanistan
September 11, 2001 fundamentally changed the way Americans view the world.
>From that day forward, we recognized that developments in far corners of the
globe are relevant to our lives. President Bush’s overriding objective has
been to rid the world of terrorists and make it safe for peace-loving people
and nations everywhere. No stranger to terrorism, Turkey was one of the
first countries to publicly condemn the attacks of September 11 and to offer
widespread support, including airspace, bases and troops. Turkey
successfully commanded the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul
and participated in the initial training of the Afghan National Army – two
examples of the leading role Turkey is capable of playing beyond its borders
in contributing to regional peace and stability. Much progress has been made
and much remains to be done in Afghanistan, but let me assure you that
President Bush remains deeply committed. The President’s recent request to
Congress for $11 billion in additional funding for Afghanistan reflects his
long-term commitment to bringing peace and stability there. He seeks a
stability not based on military might but on economic development and
openness based on things like the construction of the Kabul-Kandahar road
that U.S. and Turkish companies are building together. So far Turkish
companies have won an astounding $300 million dollars in contracts for
reconstruction in Afghanistan, showing their competitive advantage in this
kind of reconstruction work.
Middle East
The Middle East is and will remain a central focus of America’s objective of
helping create a peaceful, prosperous world devoid of terrorism. Last
spring, President Bush unveiled a roadmap for peace and stability in the
region. In our view, the roadmap is the only viable and effective way to put
an end to the suffering and violence there. Despite the inherent
difficulties and recent setbacks, we continue to believe that the
implementation of President Bush’s vision of a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict offers the best chance for achieving the goal
of Israeli and Palestinian people living side by side in peace, security,
and freedom.
Both sides must do much more to advance the process and to fulfill their
commitments to implement the roadmap. The Palestinian Authority must
dismantle the terror apparatus in the territories. The US remains committed
to working with a fully empowered Palestinian Prime Minister who has full
control of all security forces and the finances of the Palestinian Authority
to stop terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. As this
happens, we will continue to encourage Israel to make good on its
commitments and work towards conditions that will allow a peaceful
Palestinian state to emerge. While there are certainly no quick fixes or
easy answers to this decades-long problem, let me assure you the President
remains firmly committed to doing everything possible to encourage the
parties to end the violence and take steps to bring about peace. And I would
add that the Turkish-Israeli relationship remains an important underpinning
of the entire process.
Iraq
The U.S. is helping the Iraqi people create a unified, stable, democratic
Iraq. It should become a country where all ethnic and religious groups have
their civil and political rights, and are given the opportunity to
participate and contribute to the political and business life of a new
country. We remain committed to an Iraq whose unity, territorial integrity
and existing borders are preserved, and we will continue to help foster
friendly political, economic and commercial ties between Iraq and its
neighbors.
As President Bush recently made clear during his September 7 address to the
American people, our present objectives in Iraq are three-fold: first, to
rid Iraq of the terrorist threat; second, to expand international
cooperation in the reconstruction and security of Iraq; and third, to
encourage the orderly transfer of sovereignty and authority to the Iraqi
people.
The President’s commitment to ridding Iraq of the terrorist threat includes
the PKK/KADEK. The U.S. has been and will continue to be Turkey’s strongest
partner in its efforts to eradicate terrorism. We welcome the Parliament’s
passage of a re-integration and repentance law and look forward to its full
implementation to encourage maximum surrender. The U.S. will follow through
on the President’s pledge as well. We have sent an inter-agency team to
Ankara earlier this month for detailed exchanges and discussions on how our
two countries can work together to eliminate the PKK/KADEK threat, and the
State Department’s Counter-Terrorism Chief, Ambassador Cofer Black, will be
in Ankara soon to continue those discussions. Make no mistake about it: the
United States and Turkey are on a path together to actively eliminate the
PKK/KADEK threat in northern Iraq.
The U.S. will also continue to stabilize and reconstruct Iraq. Stability in
Iraq is good for Iraq, good for Iraq’s neighbors, and good for the region.
We are working with the United Nations, the Iraqi Governing Council and key
allies to expand participation in the stabilization and reconstruction of
Iraq. This represents an historic opportunity for the larger international
community to support Iraqis in their quest for a peaceful, democratic
country.
The U.S. is also working hard to encourage the orderly and rapid transfer of
sovereignty and authority to the Iraqi people. Iraqis are on their way to
democratic self-rule. Iraq has its own Governing Council that for the first
time in history represents Iraq’s diversity. The Governing Council recently
appointed cabinet ministers to run government departments, and more than 90
percent of towns and cities have functioning municipal governments. The U.S.
is helping to establish a civil defense force to keep order, an Iraqi police
force to enforce the law, a new Iraqi army to defend the country, and Iraqi
border guards to help secure the borders. The Governing Council is turning
its attention to the process of drawing up a democratic constitution for
Iraq.
We have also made significant progress in helping Iraq renew its electric
grid, water treatment facilities, and other infrastructure and social
services that were run down, destroyed and neglected during the years of
Saddam’s misrule and systematic disinvestment. Electrical generation now
averages 75% of pre-war levels, and that figure is rising every day. Last
week there was a ceremony in Silopi celebrating a recent agreement between a
Turkish company and officials in Baghdad to provide electricity from Turkey
to Iraq. Telephone service is being restored to hundreds of customers, and
dilapidated water and sewage treatment facilities are being modernized.
Let me be clear on one point: the U.S. will not abandon Iraq or the Iraqi
people. We will remain engaged and committed for as long as it takes. How
long will we stay? In the words of Secretary Powell: “We will stay as long
as it takes to turn full responsibility for governing Iraq over to a capable
and democratically elected Iraqi administration. Only a government elected
under a democratic constitution can take full responsibility and enjoy full
legitimacy in the eyes of the Iraqi people and the world.” We believe a
democratic Iraq will benefit Turkey too. Research and experience demonstrate
that democratic neighbors make better trading partners, are more likely to
adhere to their commitments, and are less likely to fight one another.
Proliferation: Iran, Syria
Stemming the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is a key component
of the President’s objective of creating regional peace and stability. In
Iran, the IAEA has expressed serious concerns about a clandestine program to
develop nuclear weapons and the country’s repeated denial of full,
unfettered access to its nuclear program. Syria continues to cooperate with
terrorist groups, to develop weapons of mass destruction, and to let armed
militants slip into Iraq.
Despite all that Iran, Syria and other countries have done, it is not too
late to halt and reverse their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. We
must keep the pressure on. Turkey recently joined forces with the United
States and other countries to support an IAEA Board of Governors resolution
calling on Iran to halt its programs and urging Iran to comply with its
nuclear non-proliferation treaty obligations. We will continue to work with
the international community to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and, at the same time, support efforts by our allies to obtain
the necessary defensive capability to defend their countries and peoples
against possible WMD attacks.
Syria and Iran should heed Foreign Minister Gul’s call in Tehran during the
30th session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers to act with “a
refreshed vision – a vision in which good governance, transparency and
accountability will reign, and the fundamental rights and freedoms as well
as gender equality are upheld.” A vision where “there would be no place for
blunting rhetoric and slogans;” one that “addresses the underlying causes of
violence,” and one that “encourages political participation.”
Cyprus
The U.S. is also strongly committed to efforts to bring about a
comprehensive solution to Cyprus. The people of Cyprus on both sides of the
island were denied a historic opportunity earlier this year when their
leaders failed to reach an agreement on a comprehensive settlement. In the
U.S. view, the plan put forth by UN Secretary General Annan provides for the
safety and continuing security of the Turkish Cypriot community and the
security interests of Turkey, and remains the best basis for a satisfactory
solution for all parties. In the wake of last spring’s confidence-building
measures on the island – including the opening of the border and the travel
of hundreds of thousands of Cypriots from the north to the south – the will
of the people on both sides of the island for a comprehensive settlement has
become manifest.
President Denktas should not continue blocking progress. We will continue to
encourage political leaders on both sides of the island to seize this
opportunity and seize it soon, because time is running out. We attach great
importance to making sure that the December election in the northern part of
the island – preferably with the presence of international observers — are
free and fair. May 2004 will bring Cyprus accession to the European Union at
just about the same time the leaders of NATO will be meeting in Istanbul for
a summit. We need a renewal of attention now to search for a comprehensive
settlement. In the end, a comprehensive Cyprus settlement will benefit not
just Cyprus, but its neighbors and the region as a whole.
Caucasus and the Balkans
The U.S. remains committed to working with the governments and peoples in
the Caucasus to ensure peace, stability and prosperity. Together with our
friends in the region, we will continue to work to bring about a peaceful
transition to power in Azerbaijan and help bring an end to conflict over
Nargono-Karabakh. In Armenia, the U.S. will continue to work to improve
relations between Armenia and its neighbors – something we believe is key to
the long-term stability of the region.
It is past time for Turkey to open the border with Armenia, and for Armenia
to confirm its recognition of Turkey’s territory.”