The Daily Star, Lebanon
Dec 18 2004
EU clinches deal on starting Turkey entry talks
Leaders say there is no certain outcome
Compiled by Daily Star staff
The EU and Turkey reached a historic agreement on Friday on starting
talks on admitting the large Muslim nation to the bloc after overcoming
last minute haggling over Ankara’s relationship with EU member Cyprus.
The 25 EU leaders agreed to open accession negotiations with Turkey on
Oct. 3, 2005, but said talks would be open-ended with no guaranteed
outcome in a nod to deeply skeptical public opinion in much of
Western Europe.
The landmark deal, which could change the face of Europe and Turkey
in coming decades, came after hours of wrangling between Turkish Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende,
the summit chairman, mainly over Cyprus.
“(It) is an historic event. It shows that those who believe there is
some fundamental clash in civilizations between Christian and Muslim
are actually wrong, that we can work together and we can cooperate
together,” British Premier Tony Blair told reporters.
Turkey pledged unilaterally to sign a protocol extending its EU
association agreement to 10 states which joined the bloc in May,
including Cyprus, before it starts entry talks.
In return, Balkenende, holder of the EU presidency, would spell out
that this was not tantamount to recognition of the Greek Cypriot
government in Nicosia, which Ankara has rejected until there is a
settlement for the divided island.
Diplomats said the EU dropped a humiliating demand that Turkey initial
the pact immediately on Friday. At one point, Erdogan threatened to
walk out after Cyprus demanded a written commitment. He was dissuaded
by Balkenende, Blair and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the
diplomats said.
EU leaders kept summit guest UN chief Kofi Annan waiting for an hour
and a half as they negotiated over Cyprus.
Annan said Friday he was willing to offer more mediation to resolve the
dispute surrounding the divided island of Cyprus if Greek and Turkish
Cypriots requested. “Once the parties are ready to move forward again,
my good offices could be available,” he said.
A Turkish official quoted Erdogan as telling Balkenende at one point:
“You are choosing 600,000 Greeks (Cypriots) over 70 million Turks,
and I cannot explain this to my people.”
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw played down the political
significance of signing the so-called Ankara protocol, saying: “It does
not involve formal or informal recognition of the government of Cyprus
and we have been trying to reassure the Turkish government about that.”
Erdogan was satisfied Friday with amendments to provisions that
foresee restrictions on the free movement of people.
“Those (provisions) were different before, but I can say they were
put into the desired shape as a result of the efforts we made,”
Erdogan said.
The agreement was criticized by Armenians in Europe as well as
opposition groups in Turkey.
Turkey’s main opposition party Friday urged Erdogan to suspend
accession talks, arguing that the bloc is not ready to admit the
country as a full member.
Also in Istanbul, some 1,000 Turkish leftists demonstrated Friday
against Turkey’s bid to join the bloc as the country’s leaders
bargained in Brussels to soften the conditions of an EU offer for
accession talks.
The protesters, supporters of the small Turkish Communist Party,
marched to the German Consulate in downtown Istanbul, chanting
anti-West slogans.
Across Europe, thousands of Europeans of Armenian origin demonstrated
during an EU summit here Friday calling on Turkey to admit to genocide
against their people nearly 90 years ago.
They insisted such an acknowledgment must be a precondition for Turkey
to begin talks on joining the EU.
Two main Greek Cypriot parties applauded the EU Friday for asking
Turkey to effectively recognize Cyprus if it wants to start EU
membership talks. But a poll earlier this week showed that 60 percent
of Greek Cypriots wanted President Tassos Papadopoulos to veto the
granting of a date for opening talks if Turkey refused outright
recognition of Cyprus. – Agencies
Refusing turkey would be a bin laden ‘victory’
RABAT: An eventual refusal by the European Union to grant membership to
Turkey would create a chasm between the West and the Muslim world and
be a victory for terror chief Osama bin Laden, Morocco’s L’Economiste
newspaper said Friday.
“Osama bin Laden and his followers are seeking to provoke this split,”
wrote the paper, adding: “Rejection of Turkey’s candidacy would be
seen around the world as a deliberate attempt to rupture ties with
the Muslim world.
“It would be a huge victory for bin Laden and other fanatics. It would
be as if they had succeeded in force-feeding the entire world the
doctrine that religious differences determine political and strategic
choices,” the paper wrote.
“If (Turkey) is rejected because its origins and references are Muslim,
the message for other societies will be clear: It says brutally that
it is useless to make an effort.”
Refusing EU membership to Turkey “would call into question all the
processes that are under way in the Arab world, from democratisation
to economic liberalization,” said the Moroccan business newspaper.