"Ankara between Washington expectations and Tehran diplomatic maneuvering
Cengiz Candar
ccandar@superonline.com
24 March 2006
A former Turkish ambassador to Washington said at an Ankara panel I also took part in Tuesday that 'Turkey should not attempt to offer a mediating role between the U.S. and Iran.' He added, since none of the sides of the conflict are asking Turkey to take such a role, there is no need for Ankara diplomacy to engage unilaterally in seemingly fruitless endeavors. Plus, such a move may jeopardize Turkey's standing in the transatlantic system which is the mainstay of Turkey's alliances and alignments.
I could not agree more. But I have to add a 'minor' detail to this approach: Iran might be asking Turkey to undertake such a role. There are signals already coming from Tehran in this direction and the Justice and Development (AK) Party government is obsessed to project Turkey in playing mediation roles in regional conflicts, some with intractable international dimensions."
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