OKTAY EKSI: THE EU COMMISSION’S "SHAMEFUL" REPORT

Hurriyet, Turkey
Nov 9 2006

The EU Commission’s progress report on Turkey, which had been prepared
for months, delayed once, and whose contents everyone was curious
about, was finally released yesterday. What the report revealed was
nothing too surprising, in fact, it went over things which were already
known. Like that we need ot bring our military-civilian relations in
line with EU standards.

It’s true-but in order bring about these standards in that arena,
the current political administration must leave off its policies which
carve away at the foundation of the secular republic. Unfortunately,
these policies continue. The main opposition CHP, which should be
the first in line to protect secularity, is content instead to stand
back and just regard secularity with love and respect. Which is why
the military steps in, saying "secularity is not a political matter,
but a basic part of life."

Let’s hope the EU excuses us but…..in Turkey, with things the way
they are, there is no way military-civilian relations can be brought
to any level which is going to please the EU. And so, what will happen
if they don’t? Well, maybe Turkey won’t be able to get into the EU,
due to the role its military plays, but at least, and more importantly,
its secular order will stay in place.

Yesterday’s EU progress report on Turkey also issues a complaint about
the 301st article from the Turkish Penal Code, saying "it is being used
to limit expressions of thought which do not contain any violence."

Maybe the EU has a free pass to comment on every matter there is,
but it was the EU itself who ignored Turkish protests on this 301st
article when it was first accepted in its current form. And now the
EU is ignoring the fact that even some of its member countries have
similar laws on their books. Most EU countries, including Austria,
France, Germany, Holland, and Belgium all have laws calling for jail
sentences for people denying the Holocaust, or who publish anti-semitic
work. Add to this the new tilt towards making it a crime to deny the
Armenian genocide allegations. Don’t all these things also fit into
the category of "limiting expressions of thought which don’t contain
any violence"? Which is why I say, let the EU first clean up its own
house before it takes on Turkey in this arena.

By this, I do not mean that we should protect the mistakes we have in
our own legal system. Of course we need to straighten them out. All
I’m saying is that those who can’t see the speck in their own eyes
should really look in the mirror before criticizing us.

The EU progress report also contains an expression of the EU desire for
Turkey to open up its air and sea ports to Southern Cypriot airplanes
and ships.

This desire is understandable, since Turkey, in order for the EU
accession talks to start up in December 2004, gave its word to follow
the 1963 Ankara and 1996 Customs Union agreements as they pertain to
Southern Cyprus. It gave its word, true, although before that point,
there was a promise from the EU that isolationary measures against
Northern Cyprus would be lifted with a resounding "yes" to the Annan
Plan. And now the EU, which was not able to keep its previously
made promise, wants Turkey to keep its part of the promise, also
previously made.

Do these Europeans think they are the smartest people in the world?

A person can want demand certain things, but only if they are in the
right position…..