ENGAGING TURKEY

FT
September 8 2009 19:59

Turkey and Armenia, neighbours divided by bitter conflict for almost
a century, are intent on early diplomatic recognition and reopening
their long-closed border. That was the good news that slipped out last
week. The plan still has to get mutual parliamentary approval. There
is strong nationalist opposition on both sides. But the Swiss-mediated
negotiations have made much better progress than was expected.

Ankara’s announcement last week of new measures to ease cultural
restrictions on the restive Kurdish minority was also good news. They
stop short of constitutional amendments or an amnesty for former
militants, but they are a step in the right direction.

Both actions should encourage faster progress in the languishing
negotiations on Turkey’s membership application to join the European
Union. Yet those talks are caught in a vicious cycle of mutual
disenchantment, as spelt out this week in a disturbing report by
the Independent Commission on Turkey, a group of eminent Europeans
chaired by Martti Ahtisaari, former president of Finland.

They argue that EU credibility is at stake because Turkey is
not being treated as a normal accession candidate. In spite of
a unanimous decision five years ago to open the talks, France,
Germany and Austria are all now backing an alternative "privileged
partnership" that stops well short of full membership. France is bloc
king negotiations on several issues. So is Cyprus. Such behaviour is
dangerously counter-productive.

Failure to reach agreement on the reunification of Cyprus has poisoned
the process. The EU members made a fundamental mistake in allowing
that divided island to join without a deal. Now there is little
incentive for the Greek Cypriots, already enjoying the full benefits
of membership, to negotiate one in good faith.

As Europe hesitates, Turkey also drags its feet. There is little
political incentive in backing EU membership in Ankara. Young Turks
are increasingly sceptical. There are worrying signs of anti-democratic
behaviour, too, such as the government’s latest imposition of massive
fines on the Dogan media group, the country’s largest.

Both the EU and Turkey should urgently refocus attention both on
the Cyprus talks and the wider accession negotiations. To allow them
to fail by default would be a tragedy. It would also sour relations
between the EU and a vital partner whose engagement is essential for
Europe’s future security, prosperity and dynamism.

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Subject: Engaging Turkey

Engaging Turkey

FT
September 8 2009 19:59

Turkey and Armenia, neighbours divided by bitter conflict for almost a
century, are intent on early diplomatic recognition and reopening their
long-closed border. That was the good news that slipped out last week.
The plan still has to get mutual parliamentary approval. There is
strong nationalist opposition on both sides. But the Swiss-mediated
negotiations have made much better progress than was expected.

Ankaraâ??s announcement last week of new measures to ease cultural
restrictions on the restive Kurdish minority was also good news. They
stop short of constitutional amendments or an amnesty for former
militants, but they are a step in the right direction.

Both actions should encourage faster progress in the languishing
negotiations on Turkeyâ??s membership application to join the European
Union. Yet those talks are caught in a vicious cycle of mutual
disenchantment, as spelt out this week in a disturbing report by the
Independent Commission on Turkey, a group of eminent Europeans chaired
by Martti Ahtisaari, former president of Finland.

They argue that EU credibility is at stake because Turkey is not being
treated as a normal accession candidate. In spite of a unanimous
decision five years ago to open the talks, France, Germany and Austria
are all now backing an alternative â??privileged partnershipâ?? that stops
well short of full membership. France is bloc
king negotiations on
several issues. So is Cyprus. Such behaviour is dangerously
counter-productive.

Failure to reach agreement on the reunification of Cyprus has poisoned
the process. The EU members made a fundamental mistake in allowing that
divided island to join without a deal. Now there is little incentive
for the Greek Cypriots, already enjoying the full benefits of
membership, to negotiate one in good faith.

As Europe hesitates, Turkey also drags its feet. There is little
political incentive in backing EU membership in Ankara. Young Turks are
increasingly sceptical. There are worrying signs of anti-democratic
behaviour, too, such as the governmentâ??s latest imposition of massive
fines on the Dogan media group, the countryâ??s largest.

Both the EU and Turkey should urgently refocus attention both on the
Cyprus talks and the wider accession negotiations. To allow them to
fail by default would be a tragedy. It would also sour relations
between the EU and a vital partner whose engagement is essential for
Europeâ??s future security, prosperity and dynamism.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. You may share using our
article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute
by email or post to the web.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress