US missile defence plans could spark EU-Nato tensions

[CHIMO]

The Obama administration's drive to persuade Nato countries to back its revamped missile defence plans is bringing longstanding tensions over European security into the open, to the potential advantage of Russia and Turkey, the maverick guardians of the EU's eastern flank.

With a crucial Nato summit in Lisbon only a month away, the US is increasing pressure on Ankara. Defence secretary Robert Gates said this week that Washington would not ask Nato member Turkey to provide new bases for missile systems. "But we do look to Turkey to support Nato's adoption at Lisbon of a territorial missile defence capability," he said. Turkey worries the $280m missile upgrade will be seen to be targeted at next-door Iran – which is indeed its main purpose, in American eyes at least. "We do not perceive any threat from any neighbour countries and we do not think our neighbours form a threat to Nato," said foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

As Turkey's neo-Islamist government tries to juggle east and west, Hurriyet commentator Semih Idiz said "an increasingly apparent ideological divide is growing between Turkey and the US in particular, and Turkey and Europe to a lesser extent … Turkey could easily end up having to choose between the alliance and Iran".

But analyst Sertac Aktan suggested Ankara could turn the situation to its advantage, offering limited co-operation in return for increased American pressure on France and Germany to unfreeze Turkey's EU membership bid. "Deploy new missiles for the sake of Europe? The Europe we so much want to be in but just can't get in?" Aktan asked. "Well, Washington thought about that too and that is why one of the top agenda items of the US-EU summit set to take place right after the Nato summit is going to be Turkey's EU membership."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/19/europe-security-turkey-russia