Agence France Presse — English
September 28, 2005 Wednesday 4:20 PM GMT

Turkey hints may shun EU talks, Britain urges compromise

ANKARA

Turkey hinted Wednesday that it may shun the start of EU membership
talks next week as political tensions rose over the country’s place
in Europe, leading Britain to warn of a “huge betrayal” if the door
was slammed shut on Ankara.

Raising the risk of a political showdown, the European Parliament
issued a stern warning to Ankara to recognize Cyprus and acknowledge
that the Ottomans committed “genocide” against Armenians during World
War I, two highly sensitive issues that have already strained ties.

The parliament did, however, endorse the start of talks set for
Monday.

The EU’s British presidency, meanwhile, battled to resolve a deadlock
over the negotiating framework — the guiding procedures and
principles of the talks — with Austria insisting on a reference to
an eventual “partnership” instead of full membership for Turkey.

“It is natural that we shall make the necessary evaluations following
the clarification of the negotiating framework and take our final
step accordingly,” Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Namik Tan told
reporters.

“It is out of the question that we accept any formula or suggestion
other than full membership,” he said.

EU ambassadors were scheduled to meet later Wednesday and throughout
Thursday to try to end the dispute before the talks, which were given
a green light by the EU at a December 17 summit, get under way in
Luxembourg.

Noting the atmosphere of uncertainty and possible last-minute
wrangling, a senior Turkish diplomat said that it was not even clear
when Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul would fly to Luxembourg.

“The airplane will be waiting at the airport and when everything is
resolved, we will go,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Other than the Austrian obstacle, he explained, some EU countries are
pushing for tougher terms that go beyond the principles outlined in
the EU’s December 17 decisions concerning Turkey, but declined to
elaborate.

Turkish newspapers reported that one draft provision that
particularly irked Ankara was a demand that Turkey abstain from
obstructing the membership of EU countries in other international
organizations.

The provision is widely interpreted as an attempt to block a Turkish
veto to an eventual bid by Cyprus to join NATO.

Turkey’s refusal to recognize Cyprus is a major obstacle to its EU
hopes, with the EU demanding that Ankara endorse the
internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot government of the
long-divided island during the accession process.

Throwing Britain’s weight behind Turkey, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
warned that “it would now be a huge betrayal of the hopes and
expectations of the Turkish people and of Prime Minister (Recep
Tayyip) Erdogan’s program of reform if, at this crucial time, we
turned our back on Turkey.”

“Anchor Turkey in the West and we gain a beacon of democracy and
modernity, a country with a Muslim majority, which will be a shining
example across the whole of its neighboring region,” he told the
Labour Party’s annual conference in Brighton.

Turkey has been trying to join the EU for decades but its place in
Europe has come increasingly into question, particularly since French
and Dutch voters rejected a planned EU constitution, partly over
concerns about the membership of this sizeable and relatively poor
Muslim country.

Underscoring increasingly hostile public opinion in parts of Europe,
the heated debate Wednesday at the European Parliament also saw
deputies harshly criticize Turkey’s record on human rights and
religious freedoms.

Ankara urged EU countries to reflect on a “strategic vision.”

“Our membership carries great importance with respect to the
contribution (it would make) to the future of Europe as well as the
Middle East and the Caucasus and particularly to the building of an
alliance between civilizations,” Tan said.