Gaza crisis spurs Turkish diplomacy

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By Iason Athanasiadis THE WASHINGTON TIMES

ISTANBUL

Israel's Gaza offensive may have benefits for Turkey, bolstering its diplomatic profile in what some commentators call "neo-Ottomanism" and a Turkish newspaper hailed as a "golden age" for Turkish diplomacy.

On New Year's Eve, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a tour of the region. He visited Syria, Jordan and Egypt before concluding his trip Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

The four-nation tour included key Arab actors with a stake in the Gaza crisis as well as a side meeting between a trusted Erdogan aide and exiled Hamas spiritual leader Khaled Meshal in Damascus.

Mr. Erdogan has cultivated ties with Hamas since 2006 when a high-ranking Hamas delegation's visit to Istanbul angered Turkey's allies in Washington and Tel Aviv.

Since the Israeli offensive in Gaza began Dec. 27, Mr. Erdogan has spoken on the phone with Hamas' political leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, and has kept in touch with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

While the crisis has underlined the wide range of Turkey's contacts, critics say, it may be driven more by domestic opinion infuriated by the mounting death toll in Gaza.

"The trip is a gesture directed more for internal consumption with his domestic constituency and has little chance of success," said Cengiz Candar, a prominent political commentator who is credited with coining the term "neo-Ottomanism."

The term refers to Turkish aspirations for influence in the Arab countries that were once part of the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey's unique contacts with all the major players in the region, as well as its membership in NATO, have positioned it to mediate the area's endemic conflicts.