Journal of Turkish Weekly
2005-03-16 10:40:59
Turkey Vows to Implement Reforms for EU Membership
LONDON (JTW) Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on Tuesday rejected
criticism his government had failed to fulfill reform pledges and said
preparations for membership negotiations with the EU were on track.
Abdullah Gul, in an interview with the Financial Times, also said a
controversial draft law on regional subsidies would be revised to enable the
International Monetary Fund to approve a $10 billion stand-by program by
early April.
“We know that implementation (of the reforms) is most important,” said Gul,
referring to criticism by Brussels there had been a lack of implementation
on several rights reforms Turkey passed last year to win a date for EU
accession talks.
“We will continue. There is no way to stop this,” he said.
‘WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO FUTURE WITH TURKEY’
European Union Commission Turkey Representative Hansjorg Kretschmer has said
he has forgotten the remarks made by Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
about him and wanted to look forward to a future with Turkey. Indicating
that the European Union (EU) train covered distance very quickly, Kretschmer
emphasized that a political crisis would make the negotiation process
difficult. Saying Turkey’s image was stained due to the pictures of police
hitting a woman at an International Women’s Day demonstration, Kretschmer
explained: “There is a historical process ahead us. If we can achieve this,
we will achieve something that will not only affect the EU and Turkey but
also the entire world. I personally want this to be achieved.”
Kretschmer gave his first interview since Minister Gul’s provacative
statement, ‘Who is Krestchmer?’ to Zaman. Evaluating the current process,
the EU ambassador wants to ‘look to the future’. Explaining that some
Europeans wanted to stop the process due to the events in Istanbul,
Kretschmer told: “They were individual acts; however, Turkey’s image was
stained. It is necessary not to let these kinds of cases occur again in
order not to discourage Turkey’s supporters in the EU. The faster the reform
process, the faster the negotiations progress. If a slowdown occurs, the
completion of the process will be delayed.”
`ARMENIAN CLAIMS ARE NOT EU CRITERIA”
On the other hand, Armenian allegations on the agenda in France have raised
questions about how it will affect Turkey’s European Union (EU) ambitions.
European Union Commission Turkey Representative Hansjorg Kretschmer thinks
that the Armenian issue will not become a political criterion before Turkey.
Giving a brief statement about the political criteria, Kretschmer said,
“With the December 17 decision, it was accepted that Ankara had
‘sufficiently’ fulfilled the political criteria. Of course, it cannot be
said they were totally fulfilled. Government officials also think in this
way.”
Priorities according to Kretschmer: Some advice was given to the goverment
about 103 legal issues. Judicial reform should be made to ensure harmony
with the EU. Religious freedom of non-Muslim minorities should be provided.
The laws for foundations should be reviewed. Women’s rights should be made a
priority. Defects in the implementation of freedom of expression and the Law
of Association should be immediately eliminated.
Many in the EU remain deeply uneasy about admitting Turkey, a large,
overwhelmingly Muslim country of more than 70 million people, even though
negotiations could last a decade. Many extreme groups in the EU argue that
there is no room in Europe for Muslims because they think European Union is
a Christian civilization. There are many Muslim states, including Turkey,
Bosnia, Albania, Azerbaijan and Turkish Cypriot State, in Europe but none of
them is EU member.
Compiled by JTW Staff from Zaman, NTV and news agencies. 16 March 2005
Turkey-EU
2005-03-16 10:40:59
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress