EDUCATION CLASH HOLDS UP EU TALKS
by Anthony Browne in Brussels and Suna Erdem in Istanbul
The Times (London)
April 8, 2006, Saturday
TURKISH hopes of joining the European Union have been thrown into
jeopardy by a stand-off between Britain and France over human rights.
Entry negotiations have been temporarily suspended after Britain
blocked an early phase of the talks on education.
The dispute puts Britain, which has been the main champion of Turkish
entry into the EU, in the awkward position of blocking the membership
talks and playing down concerns over human rights.
As opposition to further enlargement of the EU mounts, the European
Commission has said that the talks -which started last November and
are meant to result in Turkey becoming the first Muslim member of
the EU in about a decade’s time could be heading for a “train crash”.
The dispute flared on Thursday night when Britain accused France of
trying to “move the goalposts” by insisting that the country’s human
rights record be considered at all stages of the membership talks.
During the negotiations on education policy, France, supported by most
other EU member states, said that it wanted issues of sex and race
to be addressed. There is concern over the difficulties that many
Turkish girls face in getting educated, alleged racism in Turkish
textbooks and the treatment of minorities in schools.
A recent study of Turkish textbooks found widespread nationalism
and racism.
Academics highlighted 4,000 instances of “human rights abuses”,
notably negative portrayals of Kurds, Greeks, Jews and Armenians. In
the religiously conservative east of the country, far fewer girls
than boys have access to education.
Despite the concerns, a senior British official made clear that its
negotiators had made a stand to stop countries that are uneasy about
Turkish membership from repeatedly introducing new hurdles.
A French government spokesman denied that Paris was changing the terms
of the talks, but said that they had to reflect public opposition
to Turkey joining. The mood in Brussels is becoming increasingly
pessimistic. Olli Rehn, the Enlargement Commissioner, said: “We
may face a period of political tension in EU-Turkey relations. The
commission is working hard to avoid a train crash.”