Pulled From Two Directions.(International Edition; THE LAST WORD)(Interview)

Byline: Rana Foroohar

Turkey's president Abdullah Gul is one of his nation's most polarizing figures. Western-oriented and pro-EU, his Justice and Development Party has roots in Islam and pushed to abolish the ban on headscarves in universities, provoking debate about the nature of liberalism in this secular nation. Turkey's leaders face a similar balancing act abroad, with instability over its eastern and southern borders--and tentative allies in the West. NEWSWEEK's Rana Foroohar talked with Gul about being in the middle of it all. Excerpts:

Foroohar: THE conflict in Russia and Georgia is obviously on everyone's mind. What role can Turkey play going forward, given the geopolitical dynamics?

Gul: To our west we have the Balkans. To our east we have the Caucasus. Both of these regions and their stability are important for us because if you have stability in the Caucasus, and added to that if you have trust and confidence, then you have the right climate for economic cooperation. And the Caucasus are key as far as energy resources and the safe transportation of energy from the east to the west. That transportation goes through Turkey. That is why we are very active in trying to achieve an atmosphere of dialogue, so there is the right climate to resolve the problems. If there is instability in the Caucasus, it would be sort of like a wall between the East and West; if you have stability in the region, it could be a gate.

What do you think of the United States' relationship with Iran at the moment?

The problems between Iran and the United States are, of course, something that concerns us. We would like to see a normalization of the relations. We would like to see the problems resolved. Nuclear issues are important for us as well: we don't want to see any weapons of mass destruction in our neighborhood. And in this context I believe the package that has been presented by the six countries most recently is a very good one, a very valuable one, and we have also contributed to the preparations and the discussions. I have spoken with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, I explained this to him, and I hope, we hope, that the problems will be resolved ...