Journal of Turkish Weekly
Jan 4 2005

EU Summit of December 17: A Victory or A Defeat for Turkey?

View: Dr. Sedat Laciner

After the Brussels Summit on 17 December 17 2004, The Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan and his companions were welcomed as the `conquerors’.
The welcome which was started at the airport continued with a `feast’
in the Ankara Kýzýlay Square. Although the Prime Minister Erdogan
said `We are not spoiled and will never lose our self-control’, the
tv-radio news and newspaper headlines were full of `how we pull up
stakes with Europe and European leaders, ` and `how we oppressed the
Greeks and get what we want’. However, the obstinate opponents of
Europe claimed that in December 17 Turkey sacrificed Cyprus in return
of the accession date. According to these people Turkey has gained
nothing even before the summit. If such is the case which one is the
real fact? December 17 is the date of `Turkish Entrance into Europe’
or is the date of gaining nothing by adding more concessions’ to the
existing ones.

***

First of all, when we look at the remarks before the Summit we see
that Turkey went to the EU Summit with `four red lines’:

1. An exact date should be given for the negotiations and this date
should not be open-ended.

2. Before the start of the negotiations Turkey can not take any more
steps in Cyprus Issue.

3. The aim of the negotiations should be full membership. The
alternatives which will distort the full membership, such as,
`privileged partnership’ or `B Plan’ can never be accepted.

4. Permanent derogations (limitations) can never be accepted by
Turkey.

***

At the end of the Summit each of these lines were exceeded. If we
handle them one by one, the first months of 2005 do not come true,
instead the EU, with a French insistence, determined October 3, 2004
as the starting date.

In addition, the exact date of the end of negotiations has not been
defined, it has been especially stated that the negotiations will be
open-ended. In other words, the negotiations between Turkey and the
EU might be continued forevermore. For this reason, December 17 has
not given guarantee for Turkey’ full membership. Until now, Turkey
has been waiting for 41 years, and according to the draft Turkey can
wait 41 more years without any progress.

Secondly, Turkey was the one who promise not to take a step in Cyprus
before the negotiations. Turkey and the TRNC (Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus) have realized all of the EU and UN requirements and
have made all of the concessions, however, Turkey faced with new
concessions in the Summit, also added that before solving the
problem, EU have declared the membership of the Greek Cypriots as the
only representative of the island despite all of the concessions
Turkey has made. Besides, though there have not been a signed written
agreement, Turkey has pledged to take a step in Cyprus Issue before
the start of the negotiations. The South (Greek) Cyprus with the
other 9 newly joined member countries will be included into the scope
of the Ankara Agreement until the October 3. Namely, an indirect
recognition will eventuate. This step does not mean that Greek Cyprus
will be recognized as the only legitimate Cyprus State, but should be
noted as a concession for Turkey before the negotiations. In other
words, the second red line is also dispersed. Turkey, before the
starting of the negotiations, takes a step in Cyprus.

Thirdly, Turkey had declared that essentially the aim of the
negotiations should be full membership, and the privileged
partnership would not be accepted. Although the EU leaders tell that
their ultimate aim is the full membership, the expressions of `if
Turkey does not assume the obligations of membership it must be
ensured that it is fully anchored in the European structures’ in fact
means a `kind preparation’ for a `privileged partnership’. There is
no difference between the Summits indirect `membership formula’ and
the `privileged partnership’ proposal of the German Christian
Democrats and the French opposition to Turkey. `Privileged
partnership’ can be defined as the enlarged definition of the customs
unity. Briefly, this red line has not been accepted in the summit.

***

Another Turkish requirement was that the EU cannot bring any
permanent limitation (derogations) in funds, agricultural politics,
free movement, etc. According to the Turkish officials any permanent
derogation damage the spirit of the Union, and in this respect Turkey
was quite right. A full membership which could not offer free
movement right has no meaning for Turkey, because, thanks to the
Customs Union and a 41-years-old relation with the EU, Turkey has all
the `privileged relationships with the Union’. Unfortunately, when we
look at the Decision of the Summit, the EU brought just the opposite
of Turkey’s demands onto the table, and during the Summit very little
could be changed. In other words, Turkey again has gained almost
nothing on this issue. The concessions for Turkey do not allow a
normal membership.

Consequently, Turkey went to Brussels with four basic `sine qua non’
but nearly none of these were accepted and all of these red lines
were exceeded.

***

If all of the Turkish demands were refused, in this respect can we
call it as `a great victory’?
Tayyip Erdogan and his team can be considered as heroes?

Answer is `Yes’.

Turkey has gained a victory in December 17 and Erdogan and his team
are to be appreciated because of their success in Brussels. Although
it is early to `shoulder them’ or to `prepare feasts in the public
squares’ they are to be congratulated.

Above all these, the `red lines’ which were defined before December
17 were really realistic requirements and if this fact was not
noticed by Abdullah Gul, Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister in Ankara
but soon has realized in Brussels. December 17 summit barely showed
that European public’s 1000-year old prejudices have stayed
unchanged. Until now, Turkey has not been considered as a `serious
candidate’ by the member countries of the EU. They have never deemed
Turkey as a `real European’ and a `real candidate’. The public
opinion which is manipulated by religionist extreme Christians, anti
Turkish Greek, Greek Cypriot, Armenian and PKK lobbies has formed a
great obstacle for Turkey to overcome.

In conclusion, the EU leaders’ will to take Turkey as a member is not
enough. If there is not a strong and real intention behind the back
of the documents signed, then the agreements are not considered to be
worthy. In this condition, the concepts such as, Cyprus, permanent
derogations, full membership, etc. lose their meanings. If there is
will in them these `details’ would gain importance.

In the Brussels Summit Turkey has strengthened this mentioned
good-will and has developed envision that Turkey is a real candidate
for the EU. Before and during the Summit Turkish leaders proved that
Turks are `true Europeans’, however they confronted the old racist
and discriminative European habits. Turkey passed the test; the EU’s
test is still in process. Because of this reason Turkish Prime
Minister Erdogan and his team should be congratulated. They became
successful in keeping Turkey on the way of the EU membership.

It can be said that, like the December 17, there will be more summits
in near future. Turkey needs time to erase all of the prejudices and
this period of time is taken from the EU. Besides, the defenders of
Turkey in EU have become more powerful. One may ask that Turkey who
has not erased these prejudices for 41 years could have erase them
until October 3? However, an important point should be considered
that the EU and Turkey have never reached a kind of relationship in
which they can truly communicate with each other: As said before, EU
had not considered Turkey as a `real candidate’. On the other hand,
Turkey only communicated with the EU leaders and did not realized
importance of dealing with the European public opinion. Also the real
intentions of the decision former makers in Turkey are a debatable
issue. Whereas, after the September 11, Turkey and EU are open to
listen and understand each other.
December 17 is a great victory for Turkey because the main need of
Turkey is not EU but the EU process, and Turkey took what it really
wanted.

January 2005

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress