Although the United States is unhappy about Turkey’s role in mediating renewed peace talks with Israel, this is unlikely to seriously damage relations between Ankara and Washington, a senior Turkish politician said.
“While there might be a little more tension in Turkish-American relations, I don’t think it will cause Turkey to abandon this initiative,” Suat Kiniklioglu, a senior member of parliament with the ruling AK party, told The Media Line.
Turkey is trying to mediate between Israel and Syria in an effort to renew peace talks that were abandoned in 2000.
The initiative is not being heartily welcomed in Washington, where the prevailing opinion is that Syria is a sponsor of terrorism.
Kiniklioglu, who is also a member of the Turkish American Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, said it was no secret that Ankara and Washington had differences when it came to Syria.
“We believe engaging Syria is a much better option than squeezing it into a corner, which only leads Syria to cooperate more with Iran,” he said.
Experts say Washington’s support for an Israeli-Syrian pace deal is imperative, because it would need to be involved in handling issues such as compensation for Israelis who might be evacuated from the Golan, or pressuring either side into making concessions.
The Turkish plan coincides with rumors in the Israeli media that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has agreed to give the Golan Heights to Syria in exchange for a peace deal between the two countries.
The Golan is a plateau on the border of Israel, Lebanon and Syria, which Israel captured from the Syrians in 1967. It is an important asset for Israel because of its natural and strategic benefits, particularly water resources and security.
Turkey’s main aim in brokering peace talks is to create a more stable and secure Middle East, Kiniklioglu said.
“We believe the key issue in this conflict is the Israeli-Palestinian issue and I think Syria has become very much part of it, so attempting to solve one piece of the riddle will contribute to a safer neighborhood for us,” he said.
The MP confirmed that communications between Israel and Syria had been taking place and that there was an exchange of letters between Olmert and Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad.