UK’S MILIBAND HAILS ‘MOMENT OF TRUTH’

Hurriyet Daily News
Nov 5 2009
Turkey

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband says Turkey must take ‘brave’
steps toward the EU, regardless of what’s happening to its East-West
orientation, which has been a subject of heated international debate in
recent days. ‘This is a moment of truth, it is a moment for leadership,
it is a moment for commitment,’ Miliband says

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. AFP photo

Read a full transcript of the interview between British Foreign
Secretary David Miliband and journalist Sedat Ergin.

Despite the international debate about whether Turkey is turning
its back on the West to face the East, the Turkish government should
take brave steps toward the European community, according to British
Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

"[The deadlock] gets broken by brave decisions on both sides, but also
by both sides fulfilling their commitments. Europe has pledged to a
fair accession process for Turkey and it must deliver. I think there is
more commitment to that today than there was six months ago in Europe,"
Miliband said in an interview with the daily Hurriyet at the Swissotel
the day before his crucial meeting with Turkish officials in Ankara.

Miliband held talks with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, to discuss issues ranging
from Turkey’s negotiations with the European Union and the ongoing
Cyprus talks to the contentious Iranian nuclear row.

"I am here for discussions because there are big issues that are
going to be decided in the next few months on Cyprus, on the Middle
East, on Iraq, where Turkey has a great role to play," said Miliband,
explaining the motives for his visit.

The British Foreign Secretary’s visit comes just a month before the EU
is set to decide on the fate of the full membership negotiations with
Turkey and at a moment when Turkish and Greek Cypriots are continuing
intense talks to reach a comprehensive settlement.

Admitting that the membership negotiations were slower than either
Turkey or the United Kingdom would like, the visiting foreign secretary
said Britain "is committed to an open process with Turkey and the
process has been kept open."

The EU recently criticized Turkey for slowing down the reform process.

Turkey has only been able to open 11 negotiation chapters so far and
only one has been provisionally closed. In 2006, the EU suspended the
opening of eight chapters due to Turkey’s refusal to implement the
Ankara Protocol that would open Turkish ports to Greek Cypriot traffic.

"The Ankara Protocol is important, it is part of the [Cyprus] story
and there is an important decision to be taken in December… but
we should not make a crisis out of a drama," Miliband said, without
elaborating further on the issue.

Instead, he elected to deliver clear messages to the Turkish and
Greek Cypriot parties for the solution of the decades-old conflict.

"This is a moment of truth, it is a moment for leadership, it
is a moment for commitment, because it is a once-in-a-generation
opportunity to resolve the Cyprus issue on a bi-zonal, bi-communal
basis," Miliband said.

Describing both the Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders, Mehmet Ali
Talat and Dimitris Christofias, as serious people with real commitment,
Miliband reaffirmed that Europe would support them when they have to
make difficult decisions in the months ahead.

"I think it is essential; it will take great decisions on both sides,"
he said.

No change in vocation

When asked whether he was following the ongoing global debate over
whether Turkey has shifted its destiny toward the Middle East,
Miliband said he was aware of the discussions.

"There is quite a lot of blame being attached to the European Union
and there is blame being placed upon Turkey as well. I think it is
very, very important that Turkey is true to its own identity, which
is to recognize its own roots but also recognize that its commitments
to Europe are part of its vocation and that these don’t involve a
rejection of other parts of the world – it involves a fulfillment of
its identity," he said.

The foreign secretary rejected the idea that Turkey has changed its
calling, saying "the majority of Turks want to join the EU."

"I think that Turkey is clearly serious about its vocation to join
Europe."

Erdogan, Miliband discuss Iranian issue

Iran’s controversial nuclear program and its refusal to fully cooperate
with the United Nations were among the top issues Miliband and Erdogan
discussed Thursday. In an interview with British daily The Guardian,
Erdogan described Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a "friend"
and Western countries’ concerns over Tehran’s ambition to produce
nuclear weapons as "gossip."

"My own view is that the Iranian leadership has lost the confidence
of the international community for very clear reasons. It had secret
nuclear programs that were not declared as they should," Miliband
said. Underlining that he had no objection to a civilian nuclear
program as long as Iran fulfills its responsibility to ensure there
is no nuclear-weapons proliferation, Miliband said: "Turkey would know
better than many of the dangers of an Iranian nuclear-weapons program.

You are neighbors with Iran. You would not want Iran to be a
nuclear-armed state."

At Thursday’s meeting between Erdogan and Miliband, the discussion
focused on ways in which Turkey and Britain could work together in
the pursuit of a shared goal to ensure that there are no nuclear
weapons in Iran.

Support for Kurdish, Armenian moves

Miliband did not shy away from praising the government’s recent
efforts to address the Kurdish issue and reconcile with Armenia.

"We are strongly supportive of [the Kurdish move]. One of the big
issues that I have discussed for the last two years here is Kurdish
rights, equal rights for all citizens of Turkey and I think it is very
much to the credit of the government that they made this opening,"
he said.

Rejecting suggestions that the process has come to a standstill,
Miliband said: "Well, these things go, stop and stand but I don’t
think they are going to reverse."

Partner of the 21st century

When asked about Turkey’s role in the 21st century, Miliband summarized
it with just a sentence: "Like many countries, [Turkey’s role] is to
be a good partner."

"I call [this role] responsible sovereignty. Which means being
responsible to your own citizens but also responsible for the decisions
and implications beyond your borders. It is what I want Britain to be,
a good global citizen… and that is not a bad test for any country,
economically, socially, environmentally. We all have to be good
global citizens."