POLL SAYS TURKISH NATIONALISM RISING, EU PARTLY BLAMED

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 13 2007

A majority of Turks believes nationalism is on the rise in Turkey
and that the EU’s treatment of their country is the main reason,
according to a poll published in Milliyet newspaper on Monday.

The poll, conducted last month by the A&G market research company,
found just over 50 percent of those canvassed felt nationalism was
rising against 30 percent who disagreed. About one fifth of those
polled said they personally felt more nationalistic.

The survey coincides with soul-searching in Turkey over the recent
murder of a prominent Turkish Armenian editor in Istanbul by an
ultra-nationalist teenager. Turkey is also preparing for presidential
and parliamentary elections.

One third of the poll’s respondents blamed the increase in nationalism
on the EU, which Turkey hopes to join. In December, Brussels froze
entry talks with Turkey in eight of 35 policy areas because of Ankara’s
refusal to open its ports to EU member state Cyprus. Ankara has no
diplomatic ties with the Greek Cypriot government.

Many Turks feel the EU puts unfair pressure on their country over a
wide range of issues and that the wealthy bloc does not really want
Turkey, a large, relatively poor, Muslim country, as a member.

The second reason given for the upsurge in Turkish nationalism was
the inadequacy of Turkish foreign policy on issues such as Iraq and
Cyprus. Ankara is very worried about the possible disintegration of
neighboring Iraq and the emergence of an independent Kurdish state in
northern Iraq, which could fan separatism among the Kurdish population
of southeast Turkey. Turkish politicians and army generals sometimes
threaten to take military action against Kurdish terrorists hiding
in northern Iraq but have not followed up on these threats.

In Cyprus, Turkish Cypriots remain subject to international trade
sanctions despite their support for a UN-backed reunification plan in
2004, which was rejected by the Greek Cyprus. The A&G survey canvassed
the views of 2,396 people across the country February 17 to 18.