By Nora Boustany
Wednesday, March 29, 2006

"It is a wise government that relies upon the judgment and advice of a woman as a foreign minister or secretary of state," President Bush said Friday to laughter and applause.

He was toasting Greece's foreign minister, Dora Bakoyannis , at a celebration of Greek Independence Day at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Bakoyannis, who was mayor of Athens when it hosted the Olympic Games in the summer of 2004, was in Washington for talks with U.S. officials and to receive kudos from her peers.

With Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek American Orthodox community in the audience, Bush said America's founding fathers had been inspired by Greece's ancient democratic ideals. When the founders of modern Greece asked for their freedom in 1821, he said, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison supported the cause.

Noting that all three were then members of the ex-presidents' club, Bush added, "I'm not there yet, your Eminence."

On a serious note, he thanked Greece for contributing troops to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Bakoyannis, in turn, said the United States and five other governments had helped secure Athens and prevent terrorist attacks at the Olympic Games, although Greek taxpayers footed the $1.2 billion security bill.

In an interview Wednesday, she noted quietly, "We have had a success story in Greece. The men who killed my husband are behind bars."

The assassination took place three decades ago, when the 17th of November militant group was formed to oppose Greek military rule but also turned to terrorism. One of its victims was Bakoyannis's first husband, a member of parliament. The 26 militants were eventually caught and sentenced to life terms in 2003.

She spoke proudly about hosting the Olympics, saying their success reflected the best of Greece's aspirations. "It took effort," she said, "but it was immensely gratifying."

Nabi Sensoy , Turkey's new ambassador here, said his country can play a unique role as a bridge between two worlds. It is 99 percent Muslim and a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference, but it is also joined to Europe and NATO.

Sensoy, who presented his credentials to the White House this month, said Ankara has good relations with Israel as well, and that his government saw no problem in receiving Hamas leaders after their recent election victory.

"Yes, we accepted to see them, to tell them frankly what they should know," he said. "We told them that they have to assume their own responsibilities, and now that they are in power they have to adjust their policies and change their ways."

He said they must meet three conditions: recognizing Israel's right to exist, renouncing violence and honoring peace agreements negotiated by former Palestinian Authority governments. At the same time, Sensoy said, Israel "has to be patient and calm as much as possible before jumping to conclusions and in giving Hamas the opportunity to think things over."

Sensoy, who has served in diplomatic positions in New York, London, Caracas, Madrid and Havana, said in an interview last week that Turkey also had a unique position as a facilitator to smooth thorny relations with Iran and Syria.

"Iran has built its own dynamic. We have to respect the form of government they selected. There are social and cultural affinities, and we have found a modus vivendi with Iran since we concluded a peace agreement in 1639," he said. But he added that Iran's nuclear program is "a big concern. That is where we join ourselves to the international community. We support a nuclear-free zone."

The ambassador said Turkey was looking to develop its own nuclear energy capacity. He said the Turkish government is thinking of building five power plants to generate nuclear energy to meet 5 percent of its needs.

"This is done all over Europe, and it is just normal for Turkey to have another component in its energy resources," he said, pointing out that Turkey signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In its relations with Iran, Iraq and Syria, he said, Turkey always has sought to engage rather than alienate. Turkey cannot forget that Syria harbored terrorists and Kurdish leaders, he said, but "at the same time, we are neighbors . . . Although we should have no sympathy for the leadership of Syria, we have an affinity for the people of Syria, and we have to cope with the realities of the day."

Jan Eliasson , the former ambassador from Sweden who is best known here for moving Sweden's chancery to a spectacular new site on the banks of the Potomac, has been appointed his country's new foreign minister. He will take up the post next month.

Eliasson, who has been serving as president of the 60th session of the U.N. General Assembly, also served as Sweden's ambassador to the U.N. from 1988-92 and as the U.N. Secretary General's special envoy to Iran and Iraq. He was envoy in Washington from 2002-05.