bjbjLULU JEFFREY BROWN: Next tonight, Ray Suarez reports on a Mideast leader rapidly
raising his country's profile in the region and beyond. RAY SUAREZ: The Turkish prime
minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, took his latest turn on the world stage this afternoon. He
addressed the U.N. General Assembly and called for recognizing a Palestinian state. RECEP
TAYYIP ERDOGAN, Turkish prime minister (through translator): It is necessary to put pressure
on Israel to achieve peace, despite what those who govern this country do, and to show them
clearly they're not above the law. And one of the most important steps that needs to
be taken in this regard is recognizing the just demands of the Palestinian people to
be recognized as a state and to have the representatives of the state of Palestine take their well-deserved
place in this august assembly as a member of the U.N. RAY SUAREZ: It was Erdogan's latest
move in a growing effort to bolster Turkey's standing in the Middle East. And it's gotten
Washington's attention. Henri Barkey is a specialist in Turkish affairs and a former
State Department official in the Clinton administration. He now teaches at Lehigh University. HENRI
BARKEY, Lehigh University: Now you see that, given that the Turks have done very well economically,
they have essentially used soft power to establish a position in the region. Given that they
are both a NATO country and also a country that is a candidate for the European Union,
they are in an exceedingly good position. On top of that, in the region, countries like
Iran, Egypt, Syria, Israel are all having their own problems. And, therefore, the Turks
have emerged as the uncontested, if you want, regional power. MAN: Please come down and
take your seats. RAY SUAREZ: As part of their political offensive, the Turks have broken
with longtime ally Israel. Relations were strained by last year's Israeli raid on a
Turkish-based aid flotilla trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. Nine people were
killed. Last month, the Turkish government again demanded an apology, and again the Israelis
refused. Turkey then kicked out the Israeli ambassador, and renewed a threat to have Turkish
navy ships escort future aid flotillas. Erdogan addressed the issue at a meeting of Arab foreign
ministers last week. RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN (through translator): The conditions we have
set are still in effect and must be met in order for Turkish-Israeli relations to return
to normal. So long as Israel doesn't apologize, so long as they do not pay reparations to
the victims' families, so long as they do not lift their naval blockade to Gaza, Turkey-Israeli
relations will not return to normal. RAY SUAREZ: That appearance was part of what you might
call the Turkish leader's Arab spring tour. He received a warm reception in Egypt and
met with that country's prime minister, Essam Sharaf. And Erdogan was lauded in Libya on
Friday. He greeted crowds and later discussed Turkish aid for the new government and potential
investments. Henri Barkey says the Turkish break with Israel has greatly enhanced Ankara's
influence across the region, but it does pose a risk. HENRI BARKEY: Turkish-Israeli relations
are in a low point, the lowest point they have been in a very, very long time. What
I worry is that they actually can go even lower. And that is the big danger at the moment.
The worrisome part is that an accident may happen on the high seas, something else. There
are many other incidents that can take place that will make the relationship even worse.
And that will also be very dangerous obviously for the United States because it will involve
the United States. RAY SUAREZ: There's also been a new flare-up off the divided island
of Cyprus, long a flash point between Turkey and Greece. Greek Cypriots and a U.S. partner
started drilling for offshore oil and gas this week. But, yesterday, Erdogan signed
an agreement to help Turkish Cypriots conduct their own exploration. And he warned, the
Turkish military would protect them. Today, the Greek Cypriots announced they'd be willing
to share any energy finds. All of this has added to Erdogan's widespread support back
home. His Justice and Development Party won re-election by a landslide four months ago,
giving him a third term. But even as he seeks a larger profile in the wider world, his government
faces many challenges. They include a stalled bid to join the European Union, failed attempts
to get a new constitution, and an increasing terrorist threat. Kurdish separatists have
escalated attacks in the country since July. And, today, they claimed responsibility for
a deadly car bombing at a high school in Ankara on Tuesday. JEFFREY BROWN: At the United Nations
tomorrow, the Palestine issue will continue to be center stage, with speeches from Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags
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PlaceName urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags City JEFFREY BROWN: Next tonight, Ray Suarez
reports on a Mideast leader rapidly raising his country's profile in the region and beyond
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