Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept.11. / Trend U.Sadigova/
Being a mediator in conciliation of Syria and Iraq, Turkey, further increases its diplomatic weight in the Middle East and even at the international level, Head of the Iraq Foundation for Development and Democracy (IFDD), Ghassan Attiyah, said.
By resolving the differences between Syria and Iraq, Turkey shows what its diplomacy can do, Attiyah said.
"Europe will be more in need of Turkey in the future, because Turkey has and will have more opportunities to strengthen in the Middle East than the United States and Europe," Attiyah told Trend over the telephone.
Next week, Istanbul will host the meeting of foreign ministers of Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Secretary General of League of Arab States (LAS), Amr Moussa, to resolve the disagreements between Baghdad and Damascus, the Iranian Fars news agency reported with reference to the German media.
Syria and Iraq recalled their diplomatic representatives, when the Iraqi leadership's demands from Syria to extradite the organizers of huge attacks, which killed 95 people and injured over 500 in Baghdad on Sept.19.
On Sept.9, Cairo hosted a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Arab countries with the participation of Ahmet Davudoglu, Foreign Minister of Turkey, which announced its intention to help the two Arab countries in the settlement of relations.
Iraq and Syria have agreed to cease mutual attacks and accusations in the press.
Attiyah, a leading analyst on the Iraqi Policy Studies, believes on the backdrop of the fact that the Arab countries have become weaker, Turkey turns into one of the political centers in the Middle East.
The conflicts in Sudan, Lebanon and Yemen show that the Arabs' position is weak, while Turkey and even Iran are turning into a regional power centers in the Middle East, the Iraqi political analyst added.
"Influence on the Middle East moved from the center - Saudi Arabia and Egypt, to the suburbs - Turkey and Iran," Attiyah said. "This is a new phenomenon in the politics of the region."
The Turkish Foreign Minister also proposed to his Arab colleagues to open an office of the LAS in Istanbul.
Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem stressed the need to restore the relations as quickly as possible, because the current situation is not in the interests of Syria and Iraq. Al-Moallem also stated about the negotiations to return diplomatic representatives. However, Al-Moallem's Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari denied the information about imminent return of the ambassadors.
Regarding the influence of differences with Syria on Baghdad's government, Attiyah believes Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki faced difficulties.
"The question is whether Al-Maliki will change his position," Attiyah added.
The Iraqi Prime Minister could be harmed by these differences more than anyone else, because, al-Maliki believed he would be able to maintain security and stability, but events have shown quite different, Attiyah said.
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