Turkey's prime minister has
strengthened his emerging role as a leader in the Islamic world,
basking in the applause of Arab leaders as he unleashed invective
against Israel and questioned Washington's dominance at a summit in
the one-time seat of the Ottoman Empire.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's international
profile has risen sharply since the Israeli commando raid on aid
ships bound for Gaza - with Muslims across the Middle East holding
him up as a hero for his tough talk against Israel. His thunderous
reception by fellow Muslim leaders appeared to confirm his status as
the Middle East's man of the moment.
The Turkish-Arab Economic Forum opened
Thursday with calls for an international investigation into the May
31 Israeli raid that eight Turkish activists and a Turkish-American
teenager.
"Are we going to remain silent
over the murder of nine people? We can't turn a blind eye to this
banditry in international waters," Erdogan told the forum. "This
can't continue as it is."
Arab League chief Amr Moussa also
accused Israel of continued "atrocity and assault" in
violation of human rights and international law, and praised Turkey
for challenging Israel on the raid. Israel insists its commandos
acted in self-defense after being attacked by pro-Palestinian
activists on the aid ships.
On Thursday, Turkey and 20 Arab nations
also issued a joint statement expressing "grave concern and
condemnation for the Israeli aggression" on the Gaza-bound aid
ships.
Turkey's popularity in the Muslim world
has surged as it led the world in condemning Israel for the raid on
ships trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. Turkey - a non-Arab,
predominantly Muslim country - also won favor among Arab allies for
objecting to new sanctions against Iran, which the UN Security
Council passed Wednesday after rejecting an Iranian nuclear fuel
swap-deal brokered by Ankara.
Erdogan has for months been drifting
away from the West and staking out a claim as a global player -
notably working with Brazil on brokering a deal with Iran over its
nuclear program.
In an apparent jab at US foreign
policy, Erdogan said: "Arms, embargoes and exclusion are not
working" - adding that the world was paying a heavy price for
such strategies in Iran and Afghanistan.
But on Thursday he also strongly
rejected suspicions that he was shifting toward the East and
reiterated his nation's commitment to joining the European Union -
although he also accused the Europeans of acting in bad faith with a
"secret agenda" against Turkey.
"There are those within the
European Union who are trying to slow down the negotiating process,
those who want to prevent the process. They are trying to curb our
enthusiasm," Erdogan said.
"We are aware of their secret
agenda, but we carry on (with reforms) nevertheless."
France and Germany are the most
prominent European countries seeking to block Turkey's entry into the
27-nation bloc. Opponents say Turkey has not moved fast enough on
promised reforms, and Turkey's 1974 occupation of northern Cyprus is
a key stumbling block. The Greek-speaking half of the Mediterranean
island entered the EU in 2004.
During the forum, Turkey and the Arab
countries of Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, said they would set up a
council to create "a zone of free movement of goods and persons"
among them, and urged others to join what Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu said should not be seen as an alternative to the
European Union.
He said Turkey was still eager to join
the EU, but that the bloc "cannot and should not restrict
(Turkey's) relations with its neighbors."
Yet in a clear reference to the Ottoman
Empire, Davutoglu said "long before the dream of creating the EU
existed, we had close trade relations among us in this region."
Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri
said the Middle East was suffering under Israel's "criminal and
barbaric" attitude.
"We support Turkey's demands not
only about the international investigation, but for Israel to
apologize," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said.
"We support Turkey's demand to try those behind these acts."
Turkey also says Israel's partial
easing of its Gaza blockade was not enough. At another summit in
Istanbul earlier this week, Turkey and 21 Asian countries urged
Israel to join the nuclear nonproliferation treaty and place its
nuclear capabilities under the safeguards of the International Atomic
Agency.
Turkey said Israel should not be left
out from any scrutiny of its alleged nuclear arsenal, which Israel
has never confirmed, and also said Iran should be able to use nuclear
energy for peaceful purposes.
Although courting membership in the
European Union, Turkey has also strengthened its ties with its Arab
neighbors by mediating several conflicts, cultivating new
relationships with former rivals such as Syria and Iran, forging free
trade zones and gradually lifting mutual visa requirements.
The economic forum, set up in 2007,
aims to build on a trade volume that soared to $29 billion last year
between Turkey and Arab League countries, from $13 billion in 2004.
Erdogan said direct investments from
the Middle East, Gulf and North African countries had reached a total
of $8 billion in Turkey over the last five years - a figure that
could be improved.
"These figures do not reflect our
real potential, and we must work together harder to promote our
economic and trade relations," Erdogan said. "We aim to
create a free trade area with Arab countries."
Turkey already has free-trade
agreements with Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Palestinian
territories and Tunisia, and is negotiating similar deals with
Lebanon and Libya, he said.
Turkey also lifted entry visa
requirements for Jordanians, Libyans, Syrians and Lebanese and would
like to extend "the free-trade and visa-free zone" to other
countries in the region, Erdogan said.
----
Associated Press Writer Suzan Fraser in
Ankara contributed to this report.
