EU-TURKEY: ANOTHER SLIGHT FOR ANKARA

AKI, Italy
Sept 28 2005

Strasbourg, 28 Sept. (AKI) – The European Union’s parliament has
approved a resolution in which it supports the start of membership
talks with Turkey but lays down a series of provisos. The parliament
says recognition as genocide of the killing of more than a million
Armenians in 1915 was “a prerequisite for accession”. Euro-MPs also
postponed a vote on extending Turkey’s customs agreement to the
ten newest member states, because of Ankara’s refusal to recognise
Cyprus. The parliament’s decisions do not affect the start of
entry talks on 3 October but are seen as a further sign of European
reluctance towards Turkey’s bid.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, described the
postponement of an important vote on the trade agreement as ‘an
own goal’.

The decision was motivated by Turkey’s recent declaration that
signing the protocol of the Ankara Agreement did not mean any form of
recognition of Cyprus, which became an EU member last May. Euro MPs
wanted assurances that this declaration would not be part of Turkey’s
parliamentary ratification of the protocol. Turkey also refuses to
admit naval vessels and airplanes from Cyprus.

Armenia and Armenians abroad accuse Turkey’s Ottoman rulers of carrying
out genocide when 1.5 million of their people died in 1915.

Turkey denies there was any systematic killing, saying the death toll
was much lower and that the deaths occurred during a civil war. Last
week a Turkish court cancelled a historians conference which was due
to have discussed the highly taboo subject.

More negotiations are scheduled for Thursday to resolve outstanding
issues in the framework for Turkey’s entry negotiations which
officially kick of on 3 October.

Austria has been seeking to push a “privileged partnership”, also
seen positively by the German centre-right leader Angela Merkel,
while Ankara insists nothing short of full membership will do.

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