Lateefah Simon: “Sometimes the good news that we get comes in small pieces that we hope portend better things to come. The recent…”

“Sometimes the good news that we get comes in small pieces that we hope portend better things to come. The recent agreement between Turkey and Armenia for an air corridor is a small step toward improved relations between those two countries but, nevertheless, it is a positive development. It would be a mistake to exaggerate it, but it would be a mistake to ignore it. I noticed that when Prime Minister Tansu Ciller visited Azerbaijan, she returned to Turkey by way of the corridor over Armenia and was the first high-ranking Turkish official to use the air corridor. While she traveled, she congratulated Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossian on the victory of his party in the July 5th parliamentary elections in Turkey. These concessions seems small, indeed, and they are small. But I hope they can result in improvements. I recall, about 2 years ago, flying in a U.S. military plane to Armenia. The Turkish Government would not let us fly over Turkey to go to Armenia-- strange conduct on the part of a government that has been helped in a substantial way over the years by the United States. It was an action taken that was not so much adverse to the United States as adverse to Armenia. In noting this step forward in better relations between Turkey and Armenia, it must also be noted with regret that Turkish President Suleyman Demirel refuses to use the corridor over Armenia. I hope he can overcome his fears or his hatreds enough to do that one of these days.”