Chicago Tribune
Dec 17 2004
EU Set to Negotiate Letting Turkey Join
VAN, Turkey — European Union leaders decided Thursday to open
negotiations with Turkey next year on EU membership, but the road to
acceptance will be bumpy.
“Tonight the European Union has opened its door to Turkey … making
a balanced offer,” Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European
Commission, said in Brussels. “I genuinely believe this is an offer
that Turkey should be glad to accept.”
The 25 EU leaders at the Brussels meeting will propose Oct. 3 as the
start date for the talks, The Associated Press reported.
Turkish membership has been controversial, and EU leaders are likely
to try to calm their wary citizens by attaching conditions ensuring
that Turkey’s full membership will be 10 to 20 years away.
Chirac’s comment
French President Jacques Chirac told his nation this week: “My answer
is, `Yes, if.’ Yes, if Turkey totally meets the conditions we
impose.”
The “ifs” are expected to require continuing progress on human-rights
reforms and expansion of the rights of Turkey’s Kurdish population.
Other potential conditions could be far tougher for Turkey to
swallow, such as recognizing the mass killings of Armenians between
1915 and 1923 as “genocide” and recognizing the Greek Cypriot
government of Cyprus.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said he thought the major hurdle
was the Cyprus issue. Ankara recognizes the breakaway Turkish Cypriot
state in the north but not the internationally recognized Greek
Cypriot one in the south.
Turkey signaled its readiness to agree to open-ended negotiations,
but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that he would not
accept conditions that go beyond the criteria applied to other
countries.
“If they try to impose any unacceptable conditions, it is not
possible for us to accept this,” he said in Brussels after lobbying
EU leaders. “We’ll definitely put this issue on ice and continue on
our way.”
Erdogan hitched his future to Turkey’s EU bid when his party swept to
power in November 2002. Substantial reforms were pushed through
parliament, including curbing the influence of the military and
improving human-rights protections.
A Western diplomat cautioned that a rejection of Turkey by the EU
could reverse the reform process and possibly weaken Erdogan to the
point where the military could stage a coup.
Most Turkish political analysts reject the possibility of a military
coup, but the consensus is that Erdogan needs to start EU talks on a
positive note to solidify his political power and keep the country
aligned with Europe and the U.S.
The main objections to Turkey’s membership have been that it is too
big, too poor and too Muslim. Politicians in France, Austria and
Netherlands have been particularly skeptical, warning of a flood of
migrant workers that would send Europe’s Muslim population soaring.
Turkey objects to permanent restrictions that would permit EU members
to restrict the flow of Turkish workers. Ankara argues that it should
receive the same treatment as other new entrants who have faced
restrictions for a limited time.
Turkey, which is a NATO member, has strong allies in Britain,
Germany, Spain and Italy. Leaders in those countries argue that
embracing a secular democracy that borders Syria, Iran and Iraq would
help build a bulwark against extremism and send an encouraging signal
for democracy in the Middle East.
“If we succeed in integrating an Islamic country, this would
tremendously increase our security,” Schroeder said.
Earliest entry is 2015
Turkey could not join the EU until 2015 at the earliest. The
negotiations will require an even greater transformation of its
economy and society.
Kurdish activists angered Erdogan earlier this week with a large
advertisement in European newspapers demanding greater rights.
“Until Turkey recognizes all its own citizens as full members of this
country, it is not ready for membership in a larger union of
democratic nations,” said a businessman, who would not give his name,
in Van, a predominantly Kurdish city in eastern Turkey.
Most diplomats and human-rights advocates argue that the best way to
continue the reform process in Turkey is to pursue EU membership.
“The EU accession process has already helped bring about significant
human-rights improvements in Turkey,” Jonathan Sugden, who monitors
Turkey for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “A `yes’ . . .
would maintain that momentum.”
By Catherine Collins