AFTER FRANCE, BELGIUM TO JOIN ‘PRIVILEGED PARTNERSHIP’ CLUB
Selcuk GultaÞli Brussels
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
June 12 2007
The Christian Democrats of Belgium gained substantially in the general
elections yesterday, ending eight years of Liberal Democrat government
and opening a new front against Turkey’s membership in the EU.
Yves Leterme, leader of the CD & V, the Christian Democrats of the
Flemish part of the country, and the likely next prime minister, is
known for his ideas for a privileged partnership for Turkey. Current PM
Guy Verhofstadt has been a strong supporter of Turkey’s EU membership
during his eight years in power. It is yet more bad news for Turkey
as Belgium is about to join the ranks of those member states that
are pushing for privileged partnership.
Though Belgium cannot be compared to Germany and France in the EU
"machine," as the seat of operations and one of the founding members
of EU Belgium can be pivotal to tipping the balances.
The shape of the next government is not clear, however. Observers
say a coalition of French-speaking Liberals and Flemish Christian
Democrats is very likely. French-speaking Liberals (MR) support
Turkish membership, and if they agree to being the junior partner
of the coalition, a German-style approach to Turkey may emerge. In
Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel is well known for her opposition
to Turkey’s membership but has not been able to block accession talks
due to the strong support of the Social Democrats, who are the junior
partners in the coalition government.
While the Belgian Liberals support Turkey’s bid, they are also in favor
of penalizing the deniers of the Armenian "genocide," which could
again flare up in the wake of elections. On the Armenian question,
Leterme has given mixed signals. In an interview for a special
Zaman election supplement, he hastily said he was against use of the
word genocide but then publicly declared he recognized the Armenian
"genocide," under intense media pressure. His attitude towards the
Armenian question remains to be seen.
Leterme has a rather nuanced approach vis-a-vis Turkey. Though he
is for privileged partnership, he is in favor of accession talks to
continue. In the party program, the Christian Democrats defend the
continuing of accession talks, but agree that they should not lead
to membership. It is clear that a Christian Democrat-led Belgian
government would not be a defender of Turkey in the EU.
–Boundary_(ID_DgZ2oDV0fz+2aXu58MGLUw)–