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Thursday, April 20, 2006

ekathimerini.com | The Turkish crisis

"The Turkish crisis

By Costas Iordanidis

Turkey appears to be sinking into crisis. The rhetorical clash between Islamist Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kemalist President Ahmet Necdet Sezer reveals structural differences of opinion on the nature of the state itself.

Meanwhile, forces that have solidly supported Turkey for half a century are being treated with caution by Ankara. US policy on the Kurds of Iraq and the pressure to adapt in view of Turkey’s European Union prospects have created insecurity in the Turkish establishment.

The crisis in Turkey must not be seen as an opportunity for the Greek political system, which continues to suffer from the Venizelist syndrome of rapprochement. Nor should it be taken as a pretext for a policy of appeasement that would have disastrous consequences. It demands great attention and a reassessment of perceptions."

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