DEMOCRATIC INITIATIVE, PROTOCOLS WITH ARMENIA LIKELY TO BE PRAISED IN EU PROGRESS REPORT

Today’s Zaman
Sept 4 2009
Turkey

The European Commission’s progress report on Turkey, which is
expected to be released on Oct. 14, is likely to include praise for
the government’s democratic initiative involving the country’s Kurds
and the recent protocols announced between Turkey and Armenia.

Based on information leaked to the Turkish media, the draft report
focuses much of its attention on the Kurdish issue and the government’s
handling of it. It states that Turkey should implement the project as
soon as possible in order to address the issue. The draft report also
stresses that efforts must be made to achieve the broadest consensus
possible throughout the society.

Turkey should prepare a project as soon as possible to address the
issue and find the most possible consensus in the society regarding
how to address the problem, the draft report also stresses.

Among the other positive steps taken by Turkey, the draft report
discusses the Kurdish language broadcasts on TRT Å~^eÅ~_, the
restructuring of the military courts and the appointment of a chief
European Union negotiator on behalf of Turkey.

The developments on Aug. 31 between Turkey and Armenia regarding the
issue of opening the border and establishing diplomatic relations are
not yet in the draft report, but the commission, which has welcomed
the move and is preparing to add it to the report as another positive
step, the Turkish media reported.

The EU’s enlargement chief, Olli Rehn, said on Wednesday that the
EU has been pleased with Turkey’s efforts regarding its "democratic
initiative" and expects concrete steps to be taken in that regard.

"I hope it [the democratic initiative] results in concrete steps that
will address the cultural and linguistic rights of all Turkish people
and strengthen the socioeconomic development of the Southeast," Rehn
said in a speech he delivered to the European Parliament’s Foreign
Relations Committee, as quoted by the NTV news channel.

Rehn also said they expect Turkey’s reforms to improve the rule of
law and basic freedoms.

The draft report, which looks at the political criteria and examines
the acquis communautaire, the EU’s total body of law accumulated thus
far, and how much of it Turkey has adopted in the last 12 months, also
underlines Turkey’s shortcomings. One deficiency is in regards to the
Cyprus issue. As the European Commission will issue its opinion on
the progress made by Turkey towards normalizing relations with the
Greek Cypriots and in particular developments vis-a-vis extending
its customs union, the issue is of high importance. So far it seems
highly unlikely that a solution will be reached any time soon as the
peace talks are going extremely slowly.

The EU admitted Greek Cyprus into the EU in 2004 as a representative
of the entire island, even though the island has long been divided
into a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north. Additionally,
the Greek Cypriots rejected the United Nations-mediated Annan plan
to reunify the island immediately prior to EU accession. Turkish
Cypriots supported the same Annan plan in a simultaneous referendum,
but the EU has not delivered what it promised, which was to ease
the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots and, as a result, Turkey has
refused to open its air and sea ports to Greek Cypriot traffic.

The EU suspended accession negotiations on eight chapters in 2006
because of Turkey’s stance and agreed to review the situation in 2009.

Noting the present impasse, the draft report states that negotiations
between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots continue and that no other
chapters are planned to be suspended unless there is a demand from
member states.

Rehn said the 2009-2010 period requires a solution to the Cyprus
problem and that José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European
Commission, will do his best to help it happen.

Another point the draft report makes is related to freedom of the press
and freedom of expression, despite progressive changes in Article
301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), used to prosecute writers and
journalists for insulting Turkishness.

Delays in the opening of Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary in Ä°stanbul
and recognizing the patriarchate’s "ecumenical" status are also noted
in the draft in addition to relations with the military, which the
report said do not approach EU standards.

Rehn also gave some examples where Turkey lacked progress. These are
the areas of "freedom of religion, freedom of expression, women’s
rights and union rights," he said, as reported by the Milliyet daily.