MOBILISATION AUTOUR DE QUATRE FAMILLES MENACEES D’EXPULSION
Le Telegramme , France
10 octobre 2005
Actuellement, sous le coup d’une ” invitation a quitter le territoire
“, deux familles armeniennes et deux familles georgiennes, sejournant
a Lannion depuis plus d’un an, ainsi qu’une famille georgienne,
demeurant a Paimpol, sont menacees d’etre
Alertee par la Ligue des Droits de l’Homme, une centaine de personnes,
voisins, amis, parents d’elèves, representants d’associations
caritatives et de mouvements de defense du citoyen, se sont reunies,
vendredi soir, en presence du maire, Alain Gouriou, afin de trouver ”
une solution humanitaire qui permettrait aux familles de rester dans
le Tregor “.
Une motion de soutien
C’est a la demande du Service de coordination, d’orientation et
d’hebergement des demandeurs d’asile (Scoda), que la ville de Lannion
a accueilli quatre familles, de structures identiques : deux parents
et deux enfants, dont le dernier est ne en France. Deux d’entre elles
(armeniennes) sont logees aux Fontaines et a Pen ar Rhu et les deux
autres a Ker Uhel.
” Dans l’une des familles georgiennes, où la mère est economiste et le
père, journaliste, c’est l’aîne des enfants, elève de 6 e , qui sert
d’interprète ” explique le maire. ” J’ai rassure ce petit garcon en lui
expliquant que l’expulsion ne pourra se faire qu’après decision d’un
juge. L’etat de sante de la maman n’est pas très bon et necessitera
une operation en novembre, au centre hospitalier de Lannion.
En vertu de quoi, l’autorisation de sejour devrait etre prolongee
jusqu’en decembre. Ceci etant, leur recours a ete rejete et cette
famille comme les autres a recu une invitation a quitter le territoire
francais “.
” Il y a aussi des individus esseules, dans des situations tout aussi
dramatiques. La aussi il faudra etre vigilant ! ” a rappele Philippe
Coulau, responsable de la section paimpolaise de la Ligue des Droits de
l’Homme. ” Lundi soir, lors du conseil municipal a Lannion, il serait
bon qu’une motion soit adoptee, invitant le prefet a reconsiderer
les cas de ces familles armeniennes et georgiennes qui ne troublent
en aucun cas l’ordre public “, a estime Alain Gouriou.
” La situation est delicate pour le legislateur que je suis, mais dans
ce cas present, le devoir d’humanite va au-dela du simple respect du
texte “, a declare Alain Gouriou.
Solidarite financière
Dès lors où les familles recoivent leur IQT, elles perdent leur
indemnite mensuelle (300 EUR) versee par l’Etat et se retrouvent
sans couverture sociale. Depuis debut septembre, deux d’entre elles
ne survivent que grâce aux actions de solidarite. Un appel a la
manifestation est lance samedi. Rendez-vous a 14 h 30 devant la mairie.
–Boundary_(ID_DyeEud1EZXztBMiAzpm9rw)–

LE FILM “NICOLAS BLONDEAU: MON FILS, MON CHEVAL” PRIME AU FESTIVAL EPONA
Agence France Presse
9 octobre 2005 dimanche 11:07 AM GMT
PARIS 9 oct 2005
Le film “Nicolas Blondeau: Mon fils, mon cheval” a obtenu le prix
“l’Or des Chevaux d’Arman”, samedi soir a Cabourg (Calvados), lors de
la douzième edition du festival Epona, qui recompense les meilleures
productions audiovisuelles sur le thème du cheval, a-t-on appris
dimanche auprès des organisateurs.
Ce documentaire de 24 minutes, realise par Jean-Pierre Laborde tente
de montrer “le cheminement que devrait suivre tout educateur d’enfants
comme de chevaux, a travers une comparaison des psychologies humaines
et equines”, selon un communique des organisateurs.
Le film “PMU, la course aux reves”, realise par Patrice du Tertre,
qui aborde les rapports complexes entre l’homme et le jeu, a remporte
le prix dans la categorie documentaires.
Le prix du meilleur reportage a ete decerne a “Born in fire”, un
hommage a la sculpture, realise par l’Armenien Suren Ter-Grigoryan
pour Shoghakat TV Company.
Dans la categorie “News”, le prix a ete decerne a Anne-Claire Martin
pour “Le vieil homme et le vieux cheval”.
Enfin, un film realise pour Budweiser, par l’agence DDB Chicago,
a remporte le prix du meilleur film publicitaire.
Quarante-cinq oeuvres – documentaires, telefilms et publicites –
representant une vingtaine de pays producteurs, etaient en competition
pour cette 12e edition du festival, cree a l’initiative de la Societe
du cheval francais (SECF).
Le jury etait preside par Jacques Doillon.
La “course des stars”, où des vedettes ont joue aux apprentis drivers,
installees sur des sulkies conduits en tandem avec des jockeys
professionnels, a ete remporte par le comedien Jean-Paul Rouve.
–Boundary_(ID_UcTb8IUjKQ35vjG1vIYVpQ)–

EU-KOMMISSAR TRIFFT TURKISCHEN AUTOR PAMUK
Neue Zurcher Zeitung
10. Oktober 2005
Istanbul, 9. Okt. (ap) Der EU-Erweiterungs-Kommissar Olli Rehn
hat am Samstag in Istanbul den turkischen Schriftsteller Orhan
Pamuk getroffen. Pamuk muss sich im Dezember wegen Beleidigung der
turkischen Identitat vor Gericht verantworten. Die Europaische
Union hat angekundigt, den Prozess genau zu verfolgen. Der Fall
gilt als Beispiel fur das schwierige Verhaltnis der Turkei zu ihren
Minderheiten.
Pamuk habe Rehn in seinem Haus in Istanbul empfangen, berichtete der
turkische Fernsehsender NTV. In dem eineinhalbstundigen Gesprach
sei es nicht um den Prozess, sondern um die Menschenrechte in der
Turkei im Allgemeinen gegangen, erklarte Pamuk nach einem Bericht der
Nachrichtenagentur Anadolu. Rehn kundigte weitere Treffen mit Pamuk
an, um mit ihm uber Geschichte und Gesellschaft zu diskutieren.
Gegen den Schriftsteller wurde Anklage erhoben, nachdem er einer
Schweizer Zeitung im Februar gesagt hatte: “30”000 Kurden und eine
Million Armenier wurden in diesem Land getotet, und niemand ausser
mir wagt es, daruber zu sprechen.” Wegen eines ahnlichen Vergehens
war am Freitag der armenisch-turkische Journalist Hrant Dink zu einer
sechsmonatigen Bewahrungsstrafe verurteilt worden.

KRAMERSEELEN UND GENOZID
von Auswartige Autoren
Hans Vogtlin (Baden)
Neue Zurcher Zeitung
10. Oktober 2005
Nach dem Beispiel der Griechen und der Slawen auf dem Balkan,
denen im 19. Jahrhundert die Befreiung vom turkischen Joch gelungen
war, versuchten auch die christlichen Armenier sich mit ihren auf
verschiedene Staaten verteilten Stammesverwandten in einem eigenen
Nationalstaat zu vereinen. Es gab kleinere Zusammenstosse zwischen
Aufstandischen und Militar. Sie spitzten sich am 8. Oktober 1895
zu im Gemetzel von Trapezunt am Schwarzen Meer. Bis 1904 zogen sich
die brutalen Vergeltungsaktionen hin, wahrend beide Ethnien sich an
Grausamkeiten uberboten. Man schatzt die armenischen Opfer auf etwa
50″000. Auch Kurden beteiligten sich an den blutigen Angriffen auf
die Armenier. Ab 1908 regierten im sudostlich am Mittelmeer gelegenen
Adana die Jungturken. Unter dem Vorwand, die Armenier unterstutzten
diese monarchiefeindliche Konkurrenz, brachten die osmanischen Truppen
25″000 von ihnen um.
Als im Ersten Weltkrieg der Sultan auf der Seite der Mittelmachte
gegen die Entente kampfte und mit den nach Suden strebenden Russen
im Kaukasus in Konflikt geriet, nahmen die Armenier im Bestreben
nach Unabhangigkeit Partei fur den Zaren und stellten diesem
Freiwilligenbataillone. Diesen vor allem machte die osmanische
Staatsfuhrung das Scheitern der turkischen Offensive gegen Russland
zum Vorwurf. Das jungturkische “Komitee Einheit und Fortschritt”
beschloss die Vernichtung aller Armenier. Die bisher loyalen
armenischen Soldaten der staatlichen Streitkrafte wurden als Erste
entwaffnet und hingerichtet. Am 24. und 25. April 1915 wurden alle
armenischen Fuhrer aus Politik, Wirtschaft und Kultur in Istanbul
verhaftet, deportiert und ermordet – mindestens 200 Personen. Bis Juli
desselben Jahres konzentrierte man die Armenier in ihren Gebieten an
sieben Orten. Von osmanischen Soldaten und Polizisten oder kurdischen
Hilfsgruppen wurden sie teils an Ort und Stelle liquidiert, teils
auf Befehl von Innenminister Talaat auf die Todesmarsche durch die
Wuste nach Aleppo (heute Nordwestsyrien) geschickt. Nicht umgesiedelt,
sondern ausdrucklich ausgerottet sollten sie werden: ein klassischer
Genozid. Etwa 500″000 von ihnen gelang die Flucht in die Emigration. Je
nach Sympathie oder Antipathie geschatzt, kamen 600″000 bis 1″500″000
Armenier durch die Strapazen und Niedermetzelungen um. Dies zu
bestreiten, bedeutet Leugnung eines Genozids.
Dass sich der schweizerische Standerat mit dem Thema “Armenier-Genozid”
aus wirtschaftspolitischen Rucksichten nicht befassen will, um ja nicht
das eidgenossische Verhaltnis zur Turkei zu belasten und die Herren
in Ankara nicht zu bruskieren, zeugt erneut von der Kleinkariertheit
schweizerischer Kramerseelen. “Sich ducken” lautet die Parole.

AZERBAIJAN SAYS SOLDIER KILLED IN ATTACK BY ETHNIC ARMENIAN FORCES
Associated Press Worldstream
October 10, 2005 Monday 2:07 PM Eastern Time
BAKU, Azerbaijan
An Azerbaijani soldier was killed during a firefight with ethnic
Armenian forces near the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh,
Azerbaijan’s military said Monday.
The 19-year-old conscript was killed Sunday in the gunfire exchange
on the cease-fire line that separates Azerbaijani and Armenian-backed
troops, Defense Ministry spokesman Ilgar Verdiev said.
Verdiev said the Armenian forces started the shooting, and Azerbaijani
forces responded. Armenian officials could not be immediately be
reached for comment.
Nagorno-Karabakh and swaths of surrounding territory inside Azerbaijan
have been under control of ethnic Armenians since a six-year war
against Azerbaijan ended with a 1994 cease-fire. The enclave’s status
remains unresolved, and tensions remain high along the cease-fire
line with both sides regularly exchanging fire.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN IS THE BAND WITH THE ANTI-PLAN
By Ross Raihala
Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
October 10, 2005, Monday
With its innovative, complex music and surreal lyrics, System of a Down
isn’t just the most unusual band in metal (that’s the closest genre
that fits the virtually unclassifiable band). It’s quite possibly
the weirdest million-seller on the charts.
“I love that,” said vocalist Serj Tankian during a phone interview
from Manhattan. “We’ve really never approached anything from the
typical angle. We came into the music scene in L.A. from left field.
“We always did our own thing, taking everyone’s career advice and
then not following it.”
So far, the anti-plan has worked.
The Armenian-American quartet is having its most successful year to
date. The band launched “Mezmerize” in the spring with an instantly
sold-out guerrilla club tour. Follow-up disc “Hypnotize” hits stores
in November and is already one of the fall’s most hotly anticipated
releases.
“‘Mezmerize’ and ‘Hypnotize’ are really one record divided into two,”
Tankian said. “It’s not a concept album in terms of completing a story,
but it is kind of like completing a circle.”
Critics have long praised System of a Down’s unbridled creativity,
which brings a Frank Zappa-esque sense of the surreal to pounding,
operatic and politically charged metal. But it’s the kids who fill
the mosh pits at SOAD shows and have snatched up more than 10 million
copies of the band’s albums worldwide.
Does Tankian ever worry his young fans might be missing some of System
of a Down’s more subtle commentary in favor of merely rocking out?
“No, no _ rocking out is the reason why we’re doing this,” he said.
“I think as long as people instinctively feel our music, they don’t
have to psychologically analyze it.
“A lot of people do come up with all sorts of theories and
understandings from the lyrics. A lot of people don’t, too, and that’s
OK. We just want people to connect to our music in some way.”
Tankian points to the song “B.Y.O.B.” As far as SOAD goes, it’s a
fairly straightforward protest song with pointed lyrics: “Why don’t
presidents fight the war? Why do they always send the poor?”
“You may not be anti-war yourself,” he said, “but you will definitely
feel the power of the sarcasm in that song. You don’t have to theorize
about it _ you just feel it.”
But there’s also a satirical side to System of a Down that often gets
overlooked amid all the anger.
“There has been such a focus on the political aspect of the band or
the heritage aspect of the band,” Tankian said. “But I think people
are starting to get now that humor is a huge part of what we do, too.”

RUSSIAN, ARMENIAN CRACK POLICE PRACTICE COUNTER-RIOTING MEASURES
By Svetlana Alikina
ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
October 10, 2005 Monday 8:54 AM Eastern Time
Russian and Armenian crack police have practiced measures against
massive unrest at a proving ground near Krasnodar.
It was the first-ever such joint exercise, with about 1,500 officers
and men involved. Armored vehicles, police helicopters and various
types of firearms were used.
Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev spoke highly of the degree
of cooperation by Russian and Armenian police.
“We are quite happy with the performance of Russian and Armenian
law enforcers. Their crack units are well prepared for coping with
various tasks,” Nurgaliyev said.
An international anti-terrorist exercise of several crack police
units from CIS member-countries will be held in Dushanbe in the spring
of 2006.

AZERI COUP PLOTTER FEARS CIVIL WAR IF ELECTIONS RIGGED
Mahir Cavadov, Salzburg, Austria
Kavkaz-Tsentr news agency
Oct 8 2005
The exiled Azerbaijani politician, Mahir Cavadov, who was implicated
in the 1995 attempt to seize power, has said that he fears a civil
war may be possible if the forthcoming election is rigged. In the
interview, published on a Chechen rebel website, he said his original
interview with an Azerbaijani publication was distorted and that the
attack on his brother was provoked by former Azerbaijani President
Heydar Aliyev. Whereas the West has a vested interest in the election
being legal, Russia wants to keep the incumbent President Ilham Aliyev
in power, he says. Cavadov, who hopes to return home from Austria,
says he supports the exiled former speaker Rasul Quliyev and would
like to see him tried in an open court, but it will be difficult for
him to return as he would be in danger of his life. The following
is the text of the interview headlined “Mahir Cavadov: ‘My interview
was distorted'” carried on the Kavkaz-Tsentr news agency website on
8 October. Subheadings have been inserted editorially:
Rovsan Cavadov’s murder “provoked by former Azerbaijani leader”
The well-known Azerbaijani opposition MP Mahir Cavadov has approached
the Kavkaz-Tsentr news agency because he claims that the Azerbaijani
Day.az publication had distorted an interview he gave to journalists.
Kavkaz-Tsentr has received the full text of the original interview.
It will be recalled that Mahir Cavadov is the brother of the former
Azerbaijani Deputy Interior Minister Rovsan Cavadov who commanded
an OMON [special-purpose police detachment] regiment. Accused by
[former Azerbaijani President] Heydar Aliyev in 1995 of attempts to
seize power, Rovsan Cavadov was murdered, and Mahir fled to Austria
where he obtained political asylum. Mahir Cavadov himself believes
that the armed attack by the OMON regiment in 1995 was provoked by
Heydar Aliyev himself so as to take care of the real and powerful, as
he described it, force which was standing in the way of establishing
Aliyev’s regime of personal dictatorial power.
Here is the text of Mahir Cavadov’s letter as sent to the Kavkaz-Tsentr
editorial office:
>>From Mahir Cavadov, Salzburg, Austria, 28 September 2005. Mahir
Cavadov’s replies to questions put by Day.az in Azerbaijan, which
were forwarded by the journalist Zaur Rasulzada by e-mail.
Hello, Zaur bay [mode of address]! In accordance with our agreement,
I am sending you my replies to your nine questions. Respectfully yours,
Mahir Cavadov.
[Day.az agency] How do you assess the pre-election situation in
Azerbaijan?
Authorities preparing to rig the election
[Cavadov] The point about the current parliamentary election is that on
this occasion the administration cannot afford to behave in the coarse
and destructive way it did before when drawing up the documentation for
the registration of candidates. The fact is, the tactics are different,
but the plan of the authorities remains the same – they are preparing
to rig these elections, too. Whereas before the administration allowed
only its own people to participate in the elections, it now suits
their purpose that anyone who wants to can register. Why is this?
So it is easier for the administration to camouflage its candidates
under cover of “independent” and “opposition”, for example, [Milli
Maclis deputy] Asim Mollazada and the administration’s own people
grouped around him. But, in view of the fact that the authorities have
managed to keep the old electoral commission team, which rigged the
last elections, then the “independents” and “opposition” will enter
parliament not through the choice of the electorate, but because the
election was rigged.
But these crude actions are having a negative effect for the
administration, which to some extent is in the interests of the
opposition. Moreover, the current pre-election situation in Azerbaijan
is such that evident opponents of Russia and the West, who were not so
evident at the last elections, have been allowed to take part in them.
They are following these elections closely because whereas the
West now has a vested interest in these elections being legal, then
[Russian President Vladimir] Putin will strive to keep Ilham Aliyev
in power, which Iran also has a vested interest in. His value for
them lies in the fact that for many reasons he has not been able to
resolve Azerbaijan’s Karabakh problem which, in the opinion of Putin
and the Iranian leaders, based on the arguments of the Armenian side,
allegedly allows their states to avoid geopolitical processes which
they find undesirable.
These facts have been very clearly shown in Moldova and Georgia. In
these countries Putin’s Russia also took part in the elections, but
against their current leaders, because they, unlike Ilham Aliyev,
are really trying to restore their countries’ territorial integrity.
[Day.az] What are your predictions regarding the standoff between
the authorities and the opposition?
[Cavadov] Everyone knows that the previous elections in Azerbaijan
were rigged by the Aliyevs. The present opposition leaders lost these
elections to them. After every setback the opposition leaders promise
our people that at the next elections they will definitely get their
revenge. So these leaders have held out in the political arena until
the current elections which will be, as it were, the moment of truth
for them. The opposition leaders must win at this election, i.e. get
a decisive majority in parliament, otherwise the people will send
them packing whatever they say. They are obviously aware of this
fact. If they lose, they will resign, because these are the rules
of the political game adopted throughout the civilized world. It is
probable that these circumstances will force them to take radical
action against the authorities if the forthcoming election is rigged.
[Day.az] What is your position at these elections?
[Cavadov] I am on the side of the opposition. I will support them
with all my strength!
[Day.az] What do you think will be the West’s position on the results
of the elections?
[Cavadov] If the opposition leaders operate as in Georgia, Ukraine
and Kyrgyzstan and oppose election rigging, then I think the West
will support them. If not, then as in the past, the West will be
congratulating the authorities on their victory.
[Day.az] Do you plan to return to your Motherland?
[Cavadov] Yes!
[Day.az] What is your attitude to [the chairman of opposition
Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, ex-speaker in exile in the USA]
Rasul Quliyev?
Former speaker should be tried in open court
[Cavadov] I base my attitude to Rasul Quliyev by looking at the way
things are politically. In any event his struggle against the Aliyev
clan is part of the common struggle against tyranny. Therefore, I
will resolve the question of his involvement in the murder of Rovsan
Cavadov and the OMON affair not by way of mob law, but in an open
Azerbaijani court. And this will probably only be after the Aliyev
clan is removed from power. Although this is a very difficult task,
it is a possible one, so long as we – those who very much want this –
can sort out the relations between us!
I know what Quliyev is like and how he thinks. We all know that in
1993-96 the Aliyevs, using Quliyev against the opposition, were able to
disturb the political equilibrium in Azerbaijan in their own interests
– they removed [ex-President Abulfaz] Elcibay, [ex-Prime Minister]
Surat Huseynov, Rovsan Cavadov and many others from the political
arena. And when they were no longer there, Quliyev was no longer
of any use to them. Because he was weak in his strategic thinking,
at that time Quliyev failed to foresee the negative consequences of
his actions. After all, if these people had remained in the political
arena, the Aliyevs would not have been able to treat him in the way
they did. Quliyev was on his own against them.
At that time I tried to explain this to Quliyev, but he could
not understand it. Unfortunately, the Quliyev of 2005 is not very
different from the Quliyev of 1993-96. But still I support him, and
in this way I am trying to help restore the political equilibrium in
Azerbaijan. At the same time, we have to realize that the authorities
have created and deployed more than a hundred people like Quliyev in
the Azerbaijani political arena. But they, unlike the real Quliyev,
have been programmed in such a way that they consider the opposition
– and, therefore Quliyev himself – and not the authorities, to be
their opponents.
[Day.az] Do you think Quliyev will come back to take part in the
elections?
[Cavadov] I suspect that at so long as the Aliyevs are in power in
Azerbaijan it will be difficult for him to do this. But if in some way
he manages to get back to Azerbaijan, then it will be hard for him to
survive there, because the authorities do not intend to deal with him
in an official way. Ilham Aliyev has already issued an order to have
Quliyev killed if he sets foot on Azerbaijani territory, and then he
intends to accuse the OMON of this. In turn, I will try to help save
Quliyev because I have a vested political interest in his mission.
[Day.az] What do you think about Ilham Aliyev?
Ilham Aliyev’s “crimes”
[Cavadov] As you probably know, when Ilham Aliyev became president,
in the name of establishing civil peace in Azerbaijan, I acknowledged
his accession, and in return I proposed that he reject the criminal
past and disgraceful legacy of his father. However, he did not accept
such a proposal and when he started his direct rule the litany of all
these political murders and arrests of opposition members continued.
The continuation of his father’s policy automatically means he has
no interest in solving the Karabakh problem. His actions and talks
on this question can only be described as a fiction!
Thus, Ilham Aliyev has stooped to carrying out new crimes. Once a
person who has committed a crime remains unpunished, he will commit
further crimes in order to avoid punishment. My attitude to Ilham
Aliyev can be deduced by taking into account the above-mentioned
facts. I have no personal claims against him.
Fears of civil war
[Day.az] Do you think a revolution is possible in the country and
what will its consequences be for Azerbaijan?
[Cavadov] The state of our people and the biography of the people in
power in Azerbaijan is such that after the rigging of the current
parliamentary election, it is probable that there will not be
a revolution but a civil war! The consequences of such a war for
Azerbaijan as a state may be positive, but any civil war is accompanied
by human sacrifice, tragedy and destruction.

RUSSIA, ARMENIA PRACTICE QUELLING ANTI-GOVERNMENT UNREST
Agence France Presse — English
October 10, 2005 Monday 4:03 PM GMT
Russian and Armenian special forces practiced quelling an
anti-government uprising at a joint exercise in southern Russia on
Monday, an interior ministry spokesman said.
“Russian and Armenian special forces are ready to fulfil the tasks
they are set,” Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev was quoted
by the spokesman as saying after watching the exercises involving
some 1,500 officers near the city of Krasnodar.
In a mock-up of a real protest around 50 demonstrators led by
“provocateurs” converged on a square in front of a government building
demanding their wages be paid and the authorities’ resignation,
the spokesman told AFP.
Special forces officers intervened as demonstrators burst into the
building and took a number of hostages.
The exercises come amid signs of nervousness in the Russian
administration following popular uprisings in the three former Soviet
republics of Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.
Armenia is Russia’s closest ally among the former Soviet republics
of the southern Caucasus.
It saw scores of anti-government demonstrations in 2003 and 2004
calling for the resignation of President Robert Kocharian after his
re-election in what opponents said was a rigged vote in March 2003.

EUROPE IS GOING TO NEED TURKEY ; EU MEMBERSHIP
by Giles Merritt
The International Herald Tribune, France
October 10, 2005 Monday
Brussels
In most European countries there are issues too sensitive to be
left to the voters; capital punishment is one, Turkey’s membership
of the European Union is another. In both cases there is a discreet
consensus between the main political parties that their electorates
would, if consulted, make the wrong decision.
Capital punishment is a good example of how this benign despotism
by Europe’s political elites eventually pays off. Public opinion
across Europe has been steadily coming round to the view that
judicial execution is morally repugnant. Similarly, the case for
bringing Turkey in and extending the EU’s borders to Iraq, Syria,
Armenia and Azerbaijan will no doubt also slowly win the approval of
today’s skeptics.
Across Europe, opinion on Turkey ranges from lukewarm to downright
hostile. In EU newcomer countries like Poland and Hungary, narrow
majorities welcome Turkish membership. In Spain, Portugal and Britain,
although something like a third are against, more than 40 percent
are in favor. At the other end of the spectrum, only a tenth of
Austrians want Turkey in, with four-fifths adamantly opposed. In
Germany three-quarters are in the no camp.
It’s never easy to tell whether politicians who declare themselves
against Turkish membership are motivated by objective considerations or
by opportunism and demagoguery. In any case, they were wrong to oppose
the opening of negotiations that will most probably last for 15 years.
Back in the mid-1980s, I was skeptical about Turkey’s case for joining
the European club. The consensus view then was that Turkey’s NATO
membership should be complemented by an enhanced economic relationship
with Europe, but no more.
When the Berlin Wall fell, my views changed entirely. In the uncertain
post-Communist world, I became convinced that Western Europe’s security
and prosperity depended on bringing stability to the former Soviet
satellite countries by admitting them to the EU.
The new situation clearly made it essential to bring Turkey into the
European bloc.
A glance at a map says it all. Turkey lies at the center of some of
the world’s most volatile regions the Black Sea and the Caucasus
republics and the hot spots of Central Asia, not to speak of the
Middle East. Turkey is already a regional power that exerts a strong
stabilizing influence on neighboring countries, so it is in Europe’s
long-term interest that Turkey should become firmly anchored in the EU.
Twenty years ago, the case against Turkish membership was chiefly
cultural and religious. Jacques Delors, the Frenchman who headed the
European Commission in its glory days, spoke of the difficulties of
admitting Turkey to “our Christian club.” Such deeply held prejudices
still lie at the heart of public hostility, even if nowadays political
realists see the religious issue in very different terms.
One of the great attractions of Turkish membership is that it could
create a bridge between Europe and the Islamic world.
Turkey is generally portrayed as a poor country whose many peasant
farmers will place intolerable financial strains on the EU. Yet the
economic advantages of bringing Turkey in are far more persuasive. By
2020, Europe’s active work force will be less than half the population,
whereas Turkey’s will be two-thirds. Europe needs Turkey’s increasingly
well-educated workers, and could do with the growing economic and
industrial muscle of a country that will soon be as populous as
Germany.
People who complain that the EU wouldn’t be the same with Turkey as a
member are living in a bygone age. In 15 years’ time, the Union will
by then have shrunk to less than 5 percent of the global population.
Europe is going to need as much new blood as it can get. Hard as it
is for Europeans to construct new democratic structures, such as its
doomed constitution, the truth is that the EU needs to be bigger and
more heterogeneous if it is to defend its citizens’ interests.
If Turkey’s European aspirations had to be abandoned, the outlook
would be worryingly uncertain. On the one hand, Islamic extremism
might feed on Western rejection. On the other, Turkey’s powerful
generals, always more popular than its politicians, who command a
million-strong army, might reverse the present trend and begin to
call the tune. Turkey as a loose cannon in one of the world’s most
geopolitically sensitive regions doesn’t bear thinking about.
*
Giles Merritt is secretary-general of Friends of Europe and editor
of the new policy journal Europe’s World.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress