Israeli FM on first visit to Turkey's new government

AFP ^ | 4/13/2003 | n/a

[a_Turk]

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom was to head to Turkey for his first official visit since the moderate Islamic Justice and Development Party was elected last November, where he was to discuss the regional situation after the Iraq (news - web sites) war, an official said.

He is to meet with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

"Mr Shalom will discuss the consequences of the war in Iraq and will reaffirm Israel's traditional position favouring maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity," said the foreign ministry official.

Israel backs its regional ally Turkey's opposition to the establishment of Kurdish state in northern Iraq, which Ankara fears would stoke calls for more autonomy by its own large Kurdish population close to the Iraqi border.

"Mr Shalom will also discuss with Turkish officials several bilateral projects underway including the 887 million dollar contract signed last year for the modernisation of Turkish tanks by Israeli Military Industries," he said.

On Friday, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) had given the green light to 800 Turkish construction workers to come to work in Israel, as part of the overall deal to upgrade 170 Turkish M-60 Patton tanks.

The workers' wages will be deducted from the sums which Israel has promised to invest in Turkey, the daily said.

Turkey, a secular Muslim state, has been Israel's main ally in the region since 1996, when they signed a military cooperation accord that caused widespread anger in the Arab world and Iran.

The two have since regularly conducted joint military manoeuvres and strengthened economic ties.

Shalom, formerly Israel's finance minister, became foreign minister last month.

[a_Turk]

ping..

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[Diddle E. Squat]

How is this viewed in Turkey, both in the general population and political circles?

[a_Turk]

Can't say with any surety what some of the population is going to do, but politically this entente will continue. I don't see popular opposition to this to increase beyond what it had been, which was negligible.

Turkey recognized Israel in 1949.

[Dog Gone]

Another good development.

[Magnolia]

This is great news a_Turk! Thanks for the update.

[a_Turk]

This should add to the pressure that Syria is under.

I was watching the tube last night, and the guy on Hardball had some arab american who said being an arab he knew that people in that region respect power only, etc, and how the US should liberate any number of places starting with Lebanon..

If they respected power so much they'd be worshipping Israel, wouldn't they?

[arielb]

they don't respect Israel because Israel withdrew from Lebanon and Syria is still there

[a_Turk]

I think the entire notion of arabs respecting only power is entirely racist.

Note that Syria is not getting attacked in Lebanon like Israel had been.

The fella on hardball was an arab, he said, yet he made racist remarks about arabs. This tells me that the was probably a Christian arab with an agenda, good or bad - that's open for interpretation.. But I have little respect for this or that group which attempts to manipulate other groups to do their bidding. Especially when they can't hold their own after the deeds are done by their big brothers..

Racist people are unworthy, in my view, whether this or that religion or race or nationale, does not matter.

I think the answer to "why they don't respect Israel" is simple. If the schools in the USA were to have been teaching black hate, then there'd be rejection instead of acceptance. Arab schools have, for the large part been teaching Jew hate. Why? To keep their people's minds off of the real problems they have there, and to be able to establish and maintain their own leadership on a hate platform.

Works well when your audience is captive as they are in most arab lands.

But the racist notion that arabs respect might is BS..

[FreeCanuckistan]

But the "hate" that is taught to young Arab children has been going on for an eternity.

And if "racist people are unworthy"......what does this say about Arabs? Examples of Arab intolerence towards the "infidel" are too numerous to document.

Racism is a grossly misused and poorly understood word. It's the "burn witch.....burn!" catch-phrase of modern times.

Any given 'race' on this planet can be held accountable......by its deeds, whether it's been a positive or negative contribution, on the behalf of humankind.

As for the statement that "Arabs respect might"

I think it's largely true. They are a 'people' with little exposure to the 'fruits of freedom' and the more complicated level of expectation, that a democratic society fosters.

The Arabs are a 'race' on the whole.....that must step forward. There is little in Arab lifetsyle or culture that is worth idealising.

[optimistically_conservative]

so, arabs respect power, as opposed to?

what a stupid remark, one that leads to stupid foreign policy.

yes, the average person, regardless of race, respencts power, they also resent power wielded poorly.

we need to remember that as we depose one power structure for another.

[a_Turk]

>> But the "hate" that is taught to young Arab children has been going on for an eternity.

I don't know about that. They lived together fine when we were running the place. Since we left, though, and then Britain left too, there has been a vaccuum there - a leadership vaccuum. How can a class lead while stripping a nation and its resources bare? By scaring the nation about the "devil" next door.

Hey, they had been doing that sort of crap between Greece and Turkey, but I guess it doesn't work as well as it used to..

>> And if "racist people are unworthy"......what does this say about Arabs?

There had just been a story posted here about a bunch of Iraki arabs protecting a small Jewish community from looters! You see, your question contains a stereotype.

I said before that I don't care where the racism comes from. Whrever ignorant hate exists, it must be doused with a refreshing bath of positive education. Sometimes that requires a kind of "emergency rule" for some difficult to determine period of time, a manifestation of which may be affirmative action for example...

[FreeCanuckistan]

Arab hostility towards infidels.....in particular, the Jews.....went on during the Ottoman years, and before that too.

I don't see 'stereotyping' as the same evil that you do. Stereotyping is an assessment based on a conglomeration of fact and folklore.....

Turks are known to be fierce fighters. Is this a racist remark? Yes it is.

Do you see my point? There is no "hatred" in this example of racism.

Racism works both ways.....even though for some, it is only about hate. Religion has a similar comparison.....yet we don't abolish religion. Despite Liberal efforts......but I digress here.

I think you understand.