ANKARA’S EU PROGRESS, ARMENIAN BILL TO DOMINATE TROIKA TALKS
The New Anatolian, Turkey
Oct 16 2006
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is braced for discussions during today’s
European Union-Turkey Troika meeting with three key issues on the
agenda, including Ankara’s progress in talks, the Finnish plan and
the French Parliament’s bill on the Armenian genocide claims.
Gul and senior EU officials will evaluate the future prospects of
Turkey’s membership bid, progress made in implementing reforms, the
screening process in the year since the beginning of talks and the
latest Greek and Greek Cypriot block during the key meeting which
will is being held in Luxembourg.
The plan proposed by Finland, which holds the rotating EU presidency,
aimed at avoiding a possible "train crash" in Turkey’s membership
talks, will also dominate the meeting.
The Finnish plan foresees the opening of the port of Famagusta
(Magosa) in Northern Cyprus under EU auspices in return for the Turkish
Parliament’s approval of the Ankara protocol, which paves the way for
the opening of Turkish ports and harbors to the Greek Cypriots. In
line with the plan, while the Turkish Cypriots would conduct direct
trade from Magosa, the Varosha (Maras) region, which is currently
under Turkish Cypriot control, would be under United Nations control.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his departure from Turkey, Gul told
reporters that Turkey welcomes all views proposed with good will,
referring to the Finnish plan. However, Gul stressed that this doesn’t
mean "Turkey accepting the unacceptable."
Underlining that Turkey is not a directly concerned side in the Cyprus
dispute, but that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
is, Gul urged the EU to discuss the latest initiatives with Turkish
Cypriot leaders to proceed in the Cyprus peace process. The foreign
minister also praised the latest visit of TRNC President Mehmet Ali
Talat to Brussels as a "positive" development.
While Gul is expected to underline the need to find solution to the
Cyprus problem under UN auspices, he will also urge the Union to end
the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, which could pave the way for
Ankara to open its ports and harbors to the Greek Cypriots through
implementing the Ankara protocol.
The meeting is important since, according to sources, the results
could affect the final touches to the EU’s progress report, set to
be released on Nov 8.
The Turkish foreign minister will also bring the French Parliament’s
recent approval of a bill introducing prison terms and fines for those
who question the Armenian genocide claims to discussions during the
Troika meeting.
During the press conference before his departure, Gul said that he
would tell EU officials that by passing the Armenian bill the French
had already altered the Copenhagen criteria. Lamenting the current
state of Turkish-French relations, Gul said, "I hope France will
take the necessary measures in order not to shake the already shaken
relations and its own image."
According to sources, besides expressing Turkey’s concerns on the
passage of the bill by the French Parliament, stressing that the
bill limits freedom of expression and also violates the EU’s basic
principles and its pressure on Ankara to amend Article 301 of the new
Turkish Penal Code (TCK), Gul is expected to praise how influential
EU officials, including Rehn, have opposed the bill.
Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, German Foreign Minister
Frank Walter-Steinmeier, whose country will take over the rotating
EU presidency from Finland in January, European Commissioner for
Enlargement Olli Rehn and European foreign policy chief Javier Solana
will be among the participants of the key meeting. In the wake of
latest move by Greece and Greek Cyprus to block the opening of new
chapters in Turkey’s EU talks, Foreign Minister Gul is also expected
to visit Greece late next month to evaluate the latest developments
with Greek officials, the Greek Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.