EIU European Voice
September 29, 2005 Thursday Turkey

Turkey talks move closer, but MEPs postpone customs deal

The opening of accession negotiations with Turkey moved closer
yesterday (28 September) after the European Parliament backed plans
to start talks next week. But in a serious political blow to Turkey,
MEPs decided to postpone a vote on an EU-Turkey customs agreement, as
a sign of frustration with Ankara’s refusal to recognise Cyprus.

MEPs demanded a guarantee that the Turkish parliament, when it
ratifies the extension of the customs union with the EU’s ten newest
member states, including Cyprus, will drop the Turkish government’s
unilateral declaration that this would not amount to recognition of
Cyprus.

Some MEPs reacted angrily to the decision to postpone approval of the
protocol. Dutch Green deputy Joost Lagendijk, chairman of the
Parliament’s Turkey delegation, said: “It sends a very bad signal.”

UK Liberal MEP Andrew Duff said: “The decision is short-sighted and
mean-spirited and will particularly affect the ten new member states.
It sows distrust between the two sides and delays the possibility of
relaxing the financial and trade embargo against Turkish North
Cyprus.”

The European Commission said that it deplored the Parliament’s
decision to withhold approval of the customs protocol, describing it
as “an own goal” for the EU.

The protest was led by the centre-right European People’s Party
(EPP-ED) but was supported by a cross-party coalition of MEPs.
Socialist deputy group leader Jan Marinus Wiersma said: “We deplore
the stance Turkey has taken on Cyprus and the way it has cast serious
doubt on its willingness to implement the protocol extending the
Ankara Agreement to the ten new member states.” The Socialist leader
Martin Schulz said that Turkey should recognise Cyprus during the
negotiations. “This cannot be at the end of the negotiations. It must
take place immediately, within the first one or two years,” he said,
adding that without such recognition, accession talks should be
broken off.

Parliament also said that it considered Turkish recognition of the
Armenian genocide “to be a prerequisite for accession”.

During the debate Hans-Gert Pottering, the EPP-ED leader, attacked EU
leaders’ tolerant attitude towards Turkey and their tough stance on
Croatia. Talks with Croatia, initially planned to start last March,
have been postponed because of the government’s alleged failure to
help bring a war criminal before international justice. The
Socialists’ leader hit back accusing Pottering of religious
discrimination: “You don’t want Turkey in because it is Islamic and
far away. Croatia is closer and is Catholic,” Schulz said.