IS SARKOZY A MONSIEUR L’HYPOCRITE ABOUT TURKEY?
Ozcan TÝKÝT, Cafebabel Istanbul
cafe babel, France
Dec 16 2007
EUROPEAN leaders signed Lisbon Treaty and the draft about Turkey’s
accession membership. As result of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s
effort, unfortunately a common mentioned word "Accession" in reports
about Turkey’s candidacy of EU membership, was dropped from EU’s Turkey
report. Certainly, dropping the Accession word describing relations
between Ankara and Brussels caused an disapponiment in Turkey.
Sarkozy’s effort to delete "accession" word from draft was not a
surprise for me but I am surprised with Turkish PM Recep Erdogan’s
declaration. Erdogan accused Sarkozy with "HYPOCRISY" acting. So,
can we call Sarkozy, Monsieour L’Hypocrite?
Erdogan claimed Sarkozy supports Turkey’s membership while talking
with Turkish politicians but trying to halt negotiations in Brussels.
Anybody can claim Erdogan’s definition about Sarkozy’s politic attitude
was false, but when it comes to Turkey’s EU membership he has always
been a hardly opposing leader.
Actually I have never been and will never be surprised in the face of
such oppositions about Turkey from Sarko’s front. Let me remind you
some of Sarkozy’s usual declarations since Ankara began enty talks
in 2005.
December 2006: "I have often been asked about the place of Muslims
in France, because of concern in the United States, my dear friends,
let’s be consistent. What’s the point of worrying about our ability
to integrate Muslims in France or in Europe if at the same time,
and just as forcefully, the United States asks us to accept Turkey
in Europe? Even if you consider that we have a problem with Islam,
in which case, you have to give us time to find the ways and means
to create a European Islam and reject an Islam in Europe. But don’t
then give equal support to the integration of a country like Turkey,
with 75 million inhabitants. Consistency is part of the relations
between Europe and the United States." (Washington Post)
April 2007: "The real problem lies with Turkey; I can not tell
young French school students that Europe’s borders lie along Syria
and Iraq. If we accept Turkey then, putting aside the Ukraine for a
moment, we have to accept Lebanon, Israel, and the Magrib. (Le Figaro)
May 2007 : Said he will "launch a debate on Turkey’s EU membership,"
and he will be against such membership. (The Times)
June: 2007: Sarkozy made his opposition to Turkey joining the EU a
central element of his presidential campaign, telling voters that
Turkey was geographically not part of Europe and arguing that the
country had no place in an already overstretched union. (Liberation)
August 2007; Sarkozy will not block EU negotiations with Turkey because
Ankara is in sensitive era. (Turkey was busy with Presidential and
parliament elections)
Probably we will hear more and more these kind of unfair controversies
from conservative front of Europe. Turkish politicians should ask
themself about what they have done to weaken Sarkozy since 2005,
they will realize, in fact they had done nothing about social and
law reforms. Armenian journailst Hrant Dink has been the victim of
301 law, after and before this murder, lots of European and Turkish
allies called goverment to amend this law but goverment insisted and
didn’t take heed them.
Instead of accusing Sarkozy and sparing its valuable time, Turkish
goverment should criticize itself and accelerate democratilaziton
reform packages. Turkey can encourage its European allies to frustrate
Sarkozy, by approving reform packages.
007/12/15/SARKOZY-IS-A-HYPOCRITE-ABOUT-TURKEY
–B oundary_(ID_7KGAVCdaWaPp10NlP+INdQ)–