19 September 2001, Copyright © Turkish Daily News
Opinion by Mehmet Ali Birand
Turkey did not ask for Article 5!
- I spoke with two leaders at the same time on Monday. One was Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain; the other was NATO General Secretary Lord Robertson. Both said that Turkey's importance was going to increase in the period ahead. Lord Robertson said so far that only America has officially applied to invoke Article 5.
Barring any misfortune, while you are reading this I will be on my way to New York from Brussels.
I ran an unbelievable marathon on Monday.
I interviewed Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain in Istanbul in the morning. Afterwards, I jumped on a plane to Brussels. From the airport I took a taxi to NATO headquarters and was only just able to make my interview with NATO General Secretary Lord Robertson.
What struck me most about the interviews was that they both said Turkey's importance in the region was going to increase from now on.
Prime Minister Aznar in particular underlined this. He said that as far as the fight against terrorism was concerned, they had embarked down a road there was no turning back from.
You know that Spain has suffered much from ETA separatist terrorism and continues to do so. Prime Minister Aznar is a person who narrowly escaped death when a car bomb exploded. He knows what terrorism is.
He hammered one point firmly home.
The practices of the past are over. Now nobody will be able to escape the international cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
The place where this fight will be organized will be NATO.
NATO has thus found itself a new function.
No staying on the sidelines.
No winking at those who resort to terrorism.
The attitude, "They can do what they like as long as they don't touch us," is over.
The thing said by Lord Robertson that intrigued me most during our interview concerned the use of the famous Article 5. As far as can be understood, neither Turkey nor Spain ever applied to invoke Article 5 when fighting terrorism. While saying this was the first time America had made an official application to invoke Article 5, he underlined this point in particular.
Another point is that it needs a non-domestic terrorist attack to be able to activate Article 5 (!)
In other words, when it comes to the PKK in Turkey, the IRA in Britain and ETA in Spain, these are all considered domestic terrorist actions not emanating from abroad.
Consequently, priority was given to measures these countries would take at home.
Let us leave the past behind us now.
And look ahead.
From now on let us together with Europe activate NATO's machinery and prevent the Europeans from turning too much of a blind eye to terrorist organizations in the name of "human rights and democracy", as we have continuously complained they have.
However, the Spanish premier touched on the possibility of a misunderstanding and said that no concessions would be given when fighting terrorism to human rights, freedoms or democracy.
Some people are saying we do not need to attach as much importance to freedoms as in the past when fighting terrorism.
On the contrary. Freedoms will be enhanced and those who resort to terrorism will be punished.
It should not be forgotten that extreme measures and oppression fuels terrorism.
Yet, the swamps should be dried out so that the fight against terrorism can be easier.
Both Aznar and Robertson said that because Turkey is a Muslim country, it will not be shunned in the period ahead; instead its value to the West will increase.
Perhaps he did not want to say: "No, you are of no use to us now. Your importance is going to decline. You cannot be a full member of the EU," when talking to a Turkish journalist. However, when talking with various other officials in Brussels, I heard the same thing.
Even if there is a general sense of disquiet and unease against Muslims, Turkey is put in another basket. Our secularism makes quite a difference. Both as a result of this and by virtue of its location, it is guessed that Turkey's importance is going to increase.
In fact, from this point onwards we are going to hear much less talk of keeping us out of the EU because we are Muslim, even though they might continue saying this to themselves.
Naturally, all these evaluations are being made in the light of today's circumstances. Tomorrow, we could witness incidents and striking developments that could upset all the balances.
At the moment, nobody knows what tomorrow is going to bring.
Just what America is going to do and how is a matter of great concern.
Both these leaders I spoke to said they would not be in President Bush's right now. He really is in a tough situation. On the one hand is the "bloody revenge" the American people want. On the other are the great risks any military operation would pose.
I had put this to you in yesterday's column. Everybody is waiting and is afraid of the consequences of American retaliation. The United States looks justified in retaliating; however, the possible consequences are causing the West to lose sleep.
Tomorrow, I will try to show you my first impressions from NATO and America.
Mehmet Ali Birand's article is translated by TDN staff
mailto:mbirand@ibm.net
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