In February of this year, the Turkish army’s deputy chief of staff paid a secret visit to Israel, during which he and Shimon Peres agreed that their military aircraft could fly for “training purposes” in each other’s airspace. The new pact, however, is to protect Israeli and American interests against those Muslim states that oppose their policies in the Middle East.The setting-up of this new alliance was conceived and carried out with extraordinary speed. Mr Gonensay’s letter was telling him to shut up.
For, at the very moment when the Israeli elections have killed off the “peace process” – at the hour when the Arabs feel most betrayed by the promises of land-for-peace that they received from Israel and America over the past five years – a new strategic partnership is emerging to take the place of the long-promised peace accords; an alliance of Turkey, the US, Israel and Jordan, designed to form a military front against – and to isolate – the West’s supposed enemies in the Middle East. In essence, it is a shadowy version of the Baghdad pact, the British-sponsored alliance of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan that was set up in 1955 to counter fears of Soviet expansion in south-west Asia. Understanding all too well the threat this presents to Syria, President Mubarak of Egypt has personally objected to the new Turkish-Israeli alliance.

It is Turkey’s new military relationship with Israel that was being rammed home to the Arabs, an accord which not only allows Israeli aircraft to fly from Turkish airbases but – so the Arabs have discovered in the past 24 hours – will permit Israeli gunboats to put into Turkish ports within the next week and commence joint naval manoeuvres in the Mediterranean. The letter – a “firman” every bit as troubling as those which once arrived from the Sultans of the Sublime Porte – was received by the Arabs in astonished silence, for it demonstrated as never before the disturbing new strategic balance emerging in the Middle East. The Euphrates is a real source of conflict between Ankara and Damascus, but no-one in Cairo believes that this was the purpose of the letter. There should be no criticism of Turkey’s dispute with Syria over the waters of the Euphrates. There must be no summit resolution that might “anger Turkey” or “create a rift between Turkey and the Arab world”.

Emre Gonensay was writing to warn Arab foreign ministers that they should make no hostile statements about Turkey at their summit meeting in Cairo tomorrow. Not since Ottoman rule ended in the Middle East almost eight decades ago has such a document arrived for Arab leaders. It is where we should be encouraging the location of shops, offices, leisure and housing.”The curbs will affect major property developers and the supermarket groups which are engaged in a constant battle with local authorities to build out-of-town superstores.. Early this week, an extraordinary and threatening letter arrived in Arab capitals from the Turkish minister of foreign affairs. Out-of-town schemes will only be tolerated as a last resort.Better town-centre designs will be encouraged, with more emphasis on secure, affordable car parking and mixed use developments which include leisure activities as well as shops.Mr Gummer said: “Cities and towns are the heart of our civilisation and we need their life and vigour for our survival Towns are where most of our population live, work and shop. The central issue is that developments on the outskirts of cities will only be allowed if more central schemes were not possible. Over the years we have warned this government time and time again that the pursuit of their planning policies would destroy town centres.