Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro
de la Prensa-Baszn Özeti
German anger over
Turkish PM's 'insult'
ILebensraum I claim threatens EU talks on Cyprus membership
By Peter NarmIIl In Bonn,
John Barham In Ankara and
UoneI Barber In BruIIeII
...............................................................
The German government reacted
forcefully and with unusual
anger yesterday to accusations
from Mesut Yilmaz, Turkey's
prime minister, that it was pursuing
a policy of Lebensraum for
the German people in eastern
and central Europe.
Peter Hausmann, the official
German government spokesman,
said the remarks by the Turkish
premier were "completely out of
order". Mr Yilmaz compared
present GerDian policies with the
aggressive expansion for Lebensraum
- or living spaee - pursued
by Adolf Hitler.
Bonn also rejected Mr Yilmaz's
charge that Germany was blocking
Turkey's hopes of joining the
Leaders of the Arab Gulf states still find it
hard to reach agreement on regional
issues, reports Robin Allen in Riyadh
Thé oil-rich Arab states of react to US policies towards
the Gulf risk being outmanoeuvred
by the US conflicting views on Iran's
Israel, Iran and Iraq; their
and Middle East rivals in the "charm offensive" towards
qUickening pace of new its neighbours; and the
regional political and commercial
arrangements, ing families to take a com-
reluctance of individual rul-
according to senior Saudi mon GCC approach to
businessmen and western regional issues.
diplomats in Riyadh.
"In all the main areas of
Falling oil prices and foreign policy and economic
lower state revenues are fur. relations, as well as regional
ther undermining the Gulf defence and security issues,
states' economic influence intra.Gulf Arab disputes
and confidence, they add. have allowed outside powers
The members of the Gulf to dictate the agenda," said a
Co-operation Council - western diplomat in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Even the recent beginnings
of a rapprochement
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and
the United Arab Emirates with Iran, with which Gulf
(UAE) - together own Arab states share an interest
almost 45 per cent of proven "as a counterweight to a
global oil reserves and 15per revanchist Iraq and to help
cent of world reserves of nato maintain stab1l1ty in the
ural gas. But their attempts Gulf", is marked by controversy.
to translate shared interests
into common policies have "Despite Iran's openness
European Uilion.
In Brussels, officials reacted
body of thought oehind them will
rebound on their author," Mr
with dismay at the timing and
tone of Mr Yilmaz's remarks,
Erdmann prophesied.
Turkey's government did not
which come at the height of deli- comment on the German statecate
EU negotiations to defuse ments but a Turkish diplomat
tensions over
Erdmann, the
Cyprus.
German
Martin
foreign
said Ankara would like to con.
sider the matter closed. He said:
ministry spokesman, said Mr Yilmaz's
Lebensraum statement, in
"The prime minister said what he
was thinking and the Germans
a Financial Times interview, was reacted, that is all. Sometimes it
"unprecedented among partners" is good to be open. The point is
and "an inexcusable defamation not to continue reacting."
of German and European policy".
He said it was "an insult to the
But the remarks threaten to
upset attempts by the EU and
countries of central and eastern European Commission to per.
Europe" to describe them as suade the Greek Cypriot govern.
Lebensraum and Germany's back- ment to allow the Turkish Cyp.
yard. These countries were partners
of Germany and would soon
riot community to take part in a
joint delegation to open EU memo
be members of the European bership negotiations for Cyprus
Union and Nato, the Atlantic allianee.
at the end of the month.
Mr Yilmaz's remarks have put
"The choice of words and the ties between Bonn and Ankara
since the election of President
Mohammed Khatami,"
the UAE's official news
agency commented on Tuesday,
"there have not been
any worthwhile developments
confU'llling issues of
dispute in Iranian foreign
Rafsanjani: publicly attacked by th~ mufti ~J - ',-
SAUDI
250_
400km
KU
ARABIA
policy." The UAE has an outstanding
dispute with Tehran
over the Iranian occupation
of the strategic islands
of Abu Musa and the Greater,
IRAII
under new strain, after months
in which once warm relations
between the two countries have
cooled sharply.
Yesterday Mr Hausmann
refused to be drawn on whether
German-Turkish relations had hit
a new low. He pointed instead to
decades of friendship between
the two countries and the
friendly co-existence of millions
of Turks living in Germany.
But Germany's sharp response
to the Turkish premier's comments
shows that Bonn feels it
has nothing to gain by turning
the other cheek to Mr Yilmaz.
Officials said German public
opinion required a tough
response to the Turkish premier's
remarks.
Gulf ru,lers in troubled waters over stance
on Iraq and Iran
run aground on disagree.
ments on a wide range of
issues.
Today acc foreign minis.
ters will meet in Riyadh to
make a new attempt to
achieve a unified position on
such questions as how to
OMAN
•
SIla Lessèr Tumbs.
Saudi Arabia's traditional
Sunni Moslem hierarchy
resents the Iranian Shia and
public insults hurled at the
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