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`Its membership is still in doubt´

Thursday December 16, 2004

The Guardian

Dawn

Editorial, Pakistan, December 15

“In spite of the conditional go-ahead given by the European commission on October 6 for beginning entry negotiations, Turkey’s membership of the 25-nation group is still in doubt. The issue will finally be thrashed out at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting beginning [tomorrow] in Brussels. But the odds still seem heavily tilted against Turkey. All leading European powers have supported Turkey’s membership bid, but the support seems to be more for record.

“Deep down, there is a lot of reservations about the very idea of a Muslim country with a population of 70 million becoming a member of a Christian club… The entry negotiations could drag on, and EU watchers say – other things remaining equal – Turkey may become a member perhaps in 2015. For Turks and Turkey this is a great disappointment.”

Ismail Kucukkaya

Aksam, Turkey, December 14

“Why does Turkey want this EU membership? We’re not looking for our identity, as some people, even most Europeans, seem to think. We’re knocking on the doors of the EU only to catch up to European standards, improve our quality of life and become modern and civilised. We want to join the EU in order to raise our educational level, ensure opportunities and cultivate a better citizenry. We already have an identity…

“We’ve been making efforts to become an EU member for 40 years now, enacting reform packages for five years, and experiencing an extraordinary process of change for two years… We consider westernisation a means of escape.”

Jean-Dominique Giuliani

Le Figaro, France, December 15

“It has to be understood that Europe cannot grow without end. We have to accept that the accession to the EU of some countries, if it must happen, will soon be recognised as being against both our best interests and even the interests of the new arrivals. And it will undoubtedly contribute to European destabilisation… We also risk failing to understand the preoccupations of would-be member states, which could lead to a nationalist backlash on their part. Turkey is a case in point…

“Europe must grow at its own pace and it needs time to assimilate recent arrivals. Unlimited enlargement would mark the return of political instability in Europe, the worst of all our fears.”

Mohammed Imara

Zaman, Turkey, December 15

“It is as impossible for Turkey to fully integrate into the western civilisation it takes as an example as it is impossible for it to abandon its Islamic and eastern identity. However, Turkey could perform the duty of a bridge where these two civilisations meet with common humanitarian values… Turkey will make great contributions to prevent the clash of civilisations that eastern and western nations have been suffering for centuries…

“I wonder whether Europeans will give a welcoming hand to Turks?… The opening or closing of the EU doors does not rest with the people of Europe – even though it benefits a de facto democracy – but with the economic, political, religious and media institutions that form the structure of its cultural and mental structure. We see that these powers embark upon a harsh anti-Turkey campaign. They [implant] negative memories about Turks and Muslims in the subconscious of the European and western people and constantly keep them alive.”

Larry Siedentop

Financial Times, December 15

“Some of the arguments put forward to support entry are double-edged… The argument that an integrated, democratic Turkey would provide the EU with a more stable frontier begs the question of whether EU frontiers with Syria, Iraq and Iran would be advantageous. Similarly, the argument that a secular Muslim society could become a beacon for other Muslim countries might be countered by the argument that such a development would only confirm in the minds of many Muslims what the embrace of Europe does to their faith. After all, the fact is that Turkey does not enjoy very good relations with its neighbours to the south-east – with the striking exception of Israel.”

Burak Bekdil

Turkish Daily News, December 15

“Inevitably, Cyprus will be a risky starter [in the talks]. True, the EU is not pressing Turkey for an immediate recognition [of Cyprus] – only an expression of intention that recognition will come at some point… Ankara is fully aware that it cannot negotiate for membership with a bloc while not recognising one of its full members. However, it cannot scrap its entire thesis on the Cyprus dispute overnight and practically declare itself an occupying power of EU territory…

“There are also other ‘problems of trust’. Many in the state establishment believe Turkey will come under pressure to give its Kurdish populace a Basque-style autonomy as membership negotiations mature. This is still an explosive issue in Turkey, and will probably remain so during the entire negotiations process… It is unfortunate that membership talks will open… on an unsure footing. Mutual suspicion is often the best recipe if any negotiations should fail.”

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