Cyprus PIO – Turkish Cypriot Press Review
July 27 2004
Ozgur Politika stresses that Turkey will become EU member when it
withdraws its troops from Cyprus
Ozgur Politika newspaper (24.07.04) publishes a commentary by Murat
Aktas on the Turkish Prime Minister´s recent visit to France. Mr
Aktas writes, inter alia, the following: “Having conducted a
three-day official visit to France in order to seek support for
Turkey’s accession to the EU, Erdogan finalized his visit with the
purchase of 36 Airbus planes. Nonetheless, he returned to Turkey
without being able to persuade the French politicians who oppose
Turkey’s EU membership in any way whatsoever.
In addition to the purchase of the planes that will cost Turkey $3
billion, Erdogan has also given the French as a present tenders such
as the sales of certain banks and the construction of nuclear plants.
The fact that he returned from this visit as if he has won a victory
has naturally made the diplomatic circles very angry. Former diplomat
Nuzhet Kandemir compared the visit conducted by Erdogan, who
generously marketed his values, to “selling carpets in an eastern
market.” Furthermore, he firmly criticized the prime minister who
gave France the economic card in return for support in the EU.
The agreement that was signed between the AINF (Airbus Industrie No’l
Forgeard) and the Turkish Airlines at the Elysee Palace for the
purchase of five A330-200, 12 A321, and 19 A320 planes amounts to
more than $3 billion. Furthermore, in his meeting with MEDEF, French
Employers’ Federation, Erdogan also generously repeated that he is
opening the markets in Turkey, which has a population of 70 million,
to the French. Stating that in addition to the sale of certain banks,
a rapid privatization process will be initiated in the months ahead,
Erdogan gave the French the good news that certain privileges will be
given to French businessman in order to deepen the relations with
France. In his meeting with French employers, Erdogan also hinted
that Turkey will construct some nuclear plants in the period ahead.
Why did the media turn a blind eye?
Despite all this however, Erdogan was not able to persuade the
representatives of the UDF [Union of French Democracy] and the UMP
[Union for a Popular Movement], the rightist coalition parties that
oppose Turkey’s EU membership, to extend support to Turkey. UDF
Leader Francois Bayrou asserted that “Turkey does not adopt the
European culture,” while former UMP leader Alain Juppe once again
noted that Turkey will be given a conditional candidacy.
As a matter of fact, even French Socialist Party leader Francois
Hallande, who had supported Turkey’s EU membership in the past, said
to Erdogan that Turkey will become a member only if “it complies with
the Copenhagen criteria and if it officially acknowledges the
Armenian genocide.”
Despite the fact that the press featured pages and pages of reports
that noted that Jacques Chirac supports Turkey’s membership, it
failed to focus on the fact that Chirac merely extends conditional
support. Nonetheless, Chirac, who had repeated the same things over
and over again in the past, did not say anything positive during
Erdogan’s visit. In his meeting with Erdogan, Chirac once again said:
“Turkey’s integration with the EU will be desirable when it becomes
possible.” However, using a diplomatic language as usual, Chirac
avoided giving an exact date regarding when “Turkey’s membership will
become possible.” After all, he wanted to ensure that the Americans
do not snatch the tenders. Nevertheless, the French president
asserted that he extends support to the efforts made by Turkey for
becoming an EU member, rather than to Turkey’s accession to the EU
itself.
Why did Chirac, who demanded “one last effort” from Erdogan, not
understand Erdogan or why did he conceal the fact that he understood
Erdogan? Maybe Erdogan’s words were misinterpreted! And why did
Erdogan not ask Chirac the exact date for membership and the reasons
behind his remarks? Let us say that Erdogan forgot, but why did the
bourgeois media not focus on these issues and why did it applaud
Erdogan’s defeat, which was introduced as a victory?
This is because everyone very well knows that Turkey will become an
EU member when it becomes possible — in other words, when it truly
democratizes, when it acknowledges that the Kurds are the actual
founders of the republic and that they have equal rights with the
Turks, when it accepts the Armenian genocide and apologizes to the
Armenian people, and when it withdraws its troops from Cyprus.
Erdogan winked to the genocide
Meanwhile, no one is asking why in the public polls that were
conducted more than 60 percent of the French people noted that they
are against Turkey’s EU membership.
This is because 450,000 Armenians live in this country. The Turks had
massacred one and a half million Armenians and had driven the rest
away from their land. And the Armenians told and are still telling
each and every French person they live with what the Turks did to
their forefathers.
Furthermore, more than 200,000 Kurds live in France as refugees. The
Turks have been massacring the Kurds for the past two centuries. As a
matter of fact, they are still killing Kurdish youths with chemical
weapons and they are still cutting off their ears and noses. Despite
the fact that these Kurds were not able to properly explain the
nature of their problems, the French are able to follow the things
that happen to them in this age of communications. Instead of
stopping his soldiers who cut off the noses and the ears of Kurdish
youth and instead of putting Turkey in order, Erdogan is bribing the
French politicians and he is calling upon them to turn a blind eye to
all this and to extend support to Turkey. Despite the fact that they
received the tenders, the French repeated that they will not extend
support to Turkey under the current conditions.
Regardless of what anyone says, after the projects that were given to
France without even holding a tender, it is the 450,000 Armenians who
live in France and the Armenian genocide that actually sealed
Erdogan’s visit to France.
Turkey will not be able to become an EU member as long as it avoids
taking the necessary steps toward democratization, as long as it
avoids officially acknowledging the Kurdish identity and the fact
that the Kurds partners of the republic who have equal rights with
the Turks, and as long as it avoids accepting and apologizing for all
the massacres that it has conducted — from the Armenian genocide to
the Dersim genocide.”