From: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: NATO Uses Turkey As Bridge To Caucasus, Caspian, Central Asia [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG. HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- Sunday October 21 6:18 PM ET Turkey Urges Fraternal Effort Over Afghan Turmoil By Steve Bryant ASHGABAT (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem pursues talks on Monday with Afghanistan's ex-Soviet neighbors, using Ankara's influence as a NATO member and U.S. ally to forge closer links during the campaign against Kabul. Cem flew into Turkmenistan on Sunday evening from Azerbaijan in the Caucasus region and was opening his day of meetings with the country's all-powerful leader Saparmurat Niyazov. Before leaving Baku, Cem told reporters his discussions with Azeri President Heydar Aliyev had focused on ``the real issue -- the world situation after the September 11 attacks, developments in Afghanistan and their repercussions for Central Asia and our brother countries there and in the Caucasus.?? Cem is pushing a wide and sometimes vague agenda of humanitarian aid, inter-religious dialogue and security cooperation on his rapid tour of the region, which will also take him to Uzbekistan later in the day. All three countries on the trip have close ethnic and linguistic ties to Turkey, as repeatedly stressed by Cem. ``These members of the great family that I have visited and will be visiting are more aware now of the need to depend on each other, and that is the meaning of this trip,?? he said. ``If I need something, I can ask Azerbaijan, I can ask Turkmenistan or Uzbekistan.?? Besides ethnic links, overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey points to its position as a member of NATO, EU membership candidate and a firm backer of the U.S. retaliatory campaign as grounds for what it says should be its leading role in managing the upheaval. Turkey has opened its airspace and bases to the United States as part of efforts in response to the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. Last week, it suggested its troops might act later as peacekeepers in Afghanistan. TURKMEN LEADER MAY SUPPORT JOINT AID EFFORT Niyazov, known as Turkmenbashi, or leader of all the Turkmen, enjoys practically unchecked power in his mostly desert republic and his face appears on nearly every building in the capital. He is likely to applaud Cem's call for a joint humanitarian aid effort as such convoys have been pouring over the country's border for some time to prevent mass famine as the U.S.-led campaign against the fundamentalist Taliban intensifies. Cem said on Sunday he envisaged ``an aid convoy for Afghanistan representing Azerbaijan, Turkey and all the brother countries of Central Asia. We will bring this to life.?? Officials say the idea is still at the feasibility study stage although they want it to happen as soon as possible. Cem said Azerbaijan backed his idea of a meeting between the European Union and the countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to ``get rid of the exploitation of our religion and to maintain understanding and cooperation.?? The Turkish minister's trip has also dealt with security cooperation with its allies. Cem said he had discussed such issues in Azerbaijan but gave few details. He was set to review Turkey's support for Uzbekistan's difficulties with Islamic hard-liners during his talks later in the day in Tashkent. Uzbekistan's President, Islam Karimov, escaped an assassination attempt by Islamist groups in 1999 and has since cracked down on dissent. Karimov has offered the use of Uzbek bases and airspace for humanitarian purposes and rescue missions and about 1,000 U.S. troops are reported to have arrived in the country. Ex-Soviet Tajikistan, which has the longest northern border with Afghanistan, has offered similar facilities.
