BELGIUM: TURKEY SHOULD BE GIVEN ‘HONEST CHANCE’ TO CONTINUE EU TALKS

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Dec 2 2006

In another sign of the disagreements over Turkey’s drive to join the
European Union, Belgium said Friday that the predominantly Muslim
country with a secular state should be given an "honest chance"
to continue membership negotiations.

A Dec. 14-15 summit of EU government leaders will decide whether
to act on a recommendation by the EU’s executive arm to partially
suspend the negotiations, which began a year ago.

EU members including France, Greece and the Greek Cypriot
administration are seeking tough measures against Ankara until it opens
its ports to Greek Cypriot ships and planes. Others, like Britain,
Spain and Sweden, want to make sure a potential important ally like
Turkey is not excluded.

"To refuse Turkey an honest chance would be a historical error,"
Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht wrote in an op-ed piece in
De Morgen newspaper. Yet he criticized recent developments in Turkey.

"Trials against intellectuals for insulting the Turkish identity,
discussions about the Armenian ‘genocide,’ quarrels about relations
with [Greek] Cyprus," he said. "Old symbols are coming to the fore."

De Gucht said, however, that the EU had to look beyond the current
differences.

"Enlargement is a good thing and Turkey deserves the benefit of the
doubt," he said.

On Wednesday, divisions among EU nations were laid bare after the
European Commission recommended partially halting membership talks
because Turkey refuses to open its ports to the Greek Cypriot
administration, which joined the bloc in 2004 despite lack of a
political settlement on the divided island.

"It is of major importance that Turkey remains a stable, secular
democracy," De Gucht said.

"Joining the Western club, which is the European Union, would send
a very strong signal to the world that the ‘clash of civilizations’
is not inevitable."

If the talks are partially frozen, it would significantly slow
Turkey’s EU membership talks, which already were expected to last at
least a decade. The EU has always stressed they offer no guarantee
of membership.

"Negotiating with such a strong neighbor can only be a tough,
time-consuming process," said De Gucht.