Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
Turkeyaskswhyit isex~luded
frollla Europe it helped build
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Ankara- Turklsh Dally NeWs
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European source faults Turkey for refusing 'special
rylationship' which would bring eventual full
membership as culmination of 'natural process'
• Foreign Ministei'Tarisu Çiller assembled European ambassadors
on Thursday to explain why the bluntest ever rebuff
Turkey has received from Europe over its European Union
bid was unacceptable to.Ankara.
(EU)
Addressing the ambassadors over a workirtg lunch, Tansu
Çiller insisted that Turkey, by the very standards that the EU
itself had set, was more eligible for membership today than the
countries that are now being given precedence. ..
Meanwhile, a well-placed European source explained to the
Turkish Daily News that, while EU ambassadors 10 Ankara were
equally at a loss to explain the harsh snub
issued Turkey on Tuesday, it was clear in
retrospect that Ankara was also to blame
for the present turn of events.
He also revealed that Ankara not so long
ago had refused a special cooperation package
which contained concrete elements and
which would incrementally pave the way .
for eventual full membership as a result of
a "natural process."
Former Belgian prime minister and president
of the mainly Christian Democrat .
European People's Party (EPP), Wilfred
Martens, said on Tuesday that Turkey was
not a candidate to become a member of the
European Union, "short-term or long."
Martens spoke after a meeting of the EPP
in Brussels also attended by German
Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Spanish Prime
Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Italian
Prime Minister Romano Prodi.
Ciller explained to the EU Ambassadors
on Friday that Turkey was proud to have
played the role it did as a staunch NATO
ally in the "great victory" which resulted in
the end of the Cold War to the West's
advantage.
Çiller pointed out that Turkey had not
balked at any stage in this struggle and had
e:ven provid~ one of the largest troop contmgents
dunng the Korean War, ofwhich
731 Turkish soldiers had sacrificed their
lives.
'The design of the 'new Europe'
through the enlargement of European institutions
is really a celebration of this
remarkable victory," Çiller said.
, "But we are surprised to see that as
Europe gathers for this historic celebration
~of democracy and freedom, only one ally
- and one ally only - appears to be
excluded," she said. "As we watch .the con-
vening of a seri~s of major meetings to plan
the 'new Europe,' only Turkey is being .
kept outside the room. While each of our
fonner Warsaw pact adversaries is warmly
welcomed, Turkey is being asked to step
aside," Çiller said. Çiller said that Turkey
was confident that if it was to be judged by
the same objective criteria, held to the
exact same standards, put through the identical
tests as the foimer Warsaw Pact ll.ppli-.
cants for the EU, "it would score very
high." "The facts are clear that, when measl.liedbythe
EU's own criteria Turkey
meets the tests for membership as applied
to the other applicants," she said.
This is why, Çiller said, Turkey has "a
very simple and eminently reasonable
request" from Europe. .
'.'We ask to be judged by exactly the
same criteria as every other applicant,"
Çiller said.
''To do otherwise; could create a map of
Europe with inconsistencies and aberrations.
For example, if all the current applicants
for EU membership and NATO
membership were accepted except Turkey,
there ~ould only be one nation in Europe
that belongs to NATO but was denied
admission to the EU." .
A view from the European side
. A senior European source, talking to the
: Turkish Daily News on Friday, said that
the EPP decision was not government policy
in any of the countries involved.
The source, who wished to remain
: anonymous, nevertheless conceded that the
. presence of such key figures such as
Chancellor Kohl, Prime Minister Amar
and Prime Minister Prodi, among the group
made this a "very significant development."
This source said that Ankara had
played a significant role in the present turn
ofevents.
He listed Turkey's threat to veto NATO
expansion if it was qot admitted to the list
of candidates for the next expansion of the
, EU as one of the main reasons, saying this
threat had clearly rebounded onto Ankara.
"Ankara was also asked after the conclu-.
sion of the customS union not to go sofer-
. vently after full membership and to let mat-
, ters settle for a while, but this advice was
not taken." Pointing out that European
states do not like being pressurized or
browbeaten on specific Issues, the source
revealed that Turkey had recently been
offered a package which incorporated special
and enhanced relations with the EU.
He said that what was being proposed in
this context was not only systematized and
regular dialogue at the higpest level
between the sides.
"What was proposed was also concrete
cooperation under aspects of the Maastricht
Treaty, including Û1 the areas of services,
visa regulations, drug control, security
cooperation and so on," he said.
This would have meant an open-door
relationship and an incremental apprQach to
Turkish-EU ties with full membership
coming at the end of a natural process as
Turkey gradually fulfilled the requirements
for membership, he said. But, this source
said, the Turkish side refused this offer of
enhanced ties, seeing itmerely as a
"punctuation mark" in terms of what it
really wanted from the EU.
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