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Sharon Visits Turkey
With Israel facing increasing isolation and anger throughout the Middle East, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon paid a visit Wednesday to the only country in the region where he is warmly welcomed: Turkey.
Islamic groups held protests against Sharon's one-day visit to Turkey, but they will have little impact in a country that is expanding its already flourishing political, economic and military ties with Israel.
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit made clear Sharon is welcome any time. "We will be happy to see you in our country frequently," Ecevit said at a joint news conference with Sharon.
Still, Ecevit advised Sharon to move toward peace talks with the Palestinians and accept international observers to ease months of bloodshed.
"If peace isn't secured, those who oppose any agreement between Israel and the Palestinians will continue to feed violence," Ecevit said.
If hopes for peace vanish in the Middle East, Ecevit said, Turkish-Israeli relations would be thrown into difficulty. "Of course, we would not like this, we give importance to our relations both with Israel and Palestinians," he said.
Turkey's ties with Israel over recent years have angered and worried Arab nations. But even as anti-Israeli feeling increases in the region with the worsening Israeli-Palestinian violence, Ankara has shown no sign of backing off a relationship that has benefits for both sides.
For Israel, ties with overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey are crucial amid its increasing isolation.
For Turkey, the relationship is economically and militarily important and is a way to increase Turkey's profile in Washington, which has close ties with both countries. To Turkey's staunchly secular establishment, protests by Islamic groups may only make the relationship more attractive.
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