SWEDEN

SWEDEN

Dagens Nyheter, Stockholm, Sept. 9: So far, there is still hope for a fully adequate Turkish membership in the EU. Yesterday the former Finnish prime minister and Nobel Prize winner Martti Ahtisaari arrived in Stockholm. He brought with him a report: “Turkey in Europe: Breaking the vicious circle,” written by an impressive band of previous European leaders.

Ahtisaari’s report contains fierce criticism against those political leaders, primarily France’s President Sarkozy, who have dashed the negotiation machinery to the ground.

The fact that the mother and father of the EU (France and Germany) are turning against a fully adequate Turkish membership hasn’t bypassed the Turks. The previous high pace of reforms has slowed down and the Turkish people have become increasingly skeptical.

Privileged partnership

Instead Paris and Berlin are talking about a privileged partnership, of which the value for Turkey is highly unclear. It is a violation of the EU’s previous vows and is putting the credibility of the union at stake.

But, as Ahtisaari points out, “presidents come and go.” The French negativity isn’t set in stone.

For enlargement-friendly countries like Sweden it is especially important to stand up for Turkey’s right to fully adequate negotiations, as well as encouraging continued democratic reforms. Turkey’s strategic position as a bridge to the Muslim world and a transit country for energy cannot be underestimated.

Patience and continued good intentions from the Turkish side is still the best argument against introverted populists in Paris and Berlin.

JAPAN

Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, Sept. 9: In a meeting in London last week, finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of 20 major economies stressed the effects of the actions their governments have taken in response to the crisis — fiscal stimulus packages worth 500 trillion yen in total and measures to support financial systems.

Leaders of the G-20 nations are slated to gather in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, later this month for a financial summit. Yukio Hatoyama, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, will attend the meeting as Japan’s new prime minister. The London meeting offered some clues as to what Hatoyama should do at the Pittsburgh summit.

Improving global economy

The communique, while claiming the global economy is improving, nevertheless said, “We will continue to implement decisively our necessary financial support measures and expansionary monetary and fiscal policies... .” That is precisely what the countries need to do, given the rising unemployment rate in the United States, Europe and Japan and the possibility that major economies could stall again if policy efforts are relaxed now.

Hatoyama needs to express his commitment to supporting policy cooperation among the G-20 nations and make a convincing explanation about how his party’s election promises will stoke Japan’s economic growth by expanding domestic demand.

Hatoyama will be in a position to make a meaningful contribution to international efforts to put the world economy back on track and establish a system to prevent a similar crisis from flaring. He can do so by speaking about Japan’s experiences in dealing with the bad debt mess left by the collapse of its own bubble economy and about the process of restoring confidence in its financial system.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Khaleej Times, Dubai, Sept. 9: Things are getting stickier by the moment in Afghanistan. There is perennial instability on the security front, with the frequency and lethality of insurgent attacks increasing by the day.

To complicate matters, the disputed elections, marked by over 600 allegations of fraud, have now eclipsed the political situation, a struggle for a firm foothold amid chaos. These allegations of rigging, leveled against incumbent President Hamid Karzai, are such that they cannot be swept under the carpet. So much so, the United Nations has now called for a probe. It could result in the annulment of results from those areas where there is evidence of fraud.

In the lead

Ironically, the U.N. call has come at a time when Karzai was on the verge of reaching the 50 percent votes needed to avoid a runoff. Though a quarter of the remaining votes are still to come, ones already compiled show Karzai in the lead.

The bigger question is how a runoff in case it becomes necessary can even be brought about in the current scenario, where security seems to be rapidly sliding out of control.

In the eventuality of a partial election runoff in disputed constituencies, extraordinary security precautions will have to be implemented. It is only natural that the Taleban will exploit the situation and go for the jugular. Though elections on Aug. 20 passed relatively peacefully without any major attacks, it is not necessary that a future rerun will enjoy the same spate of luck.