ANKARA, Sept 28: Turkey hinted on Wednesday that it may shun the start of EU membership talks next week as political tensions rose over the country’s place in Europe, leading Britain to warn of a ‘huge betrayal’ if the door was slammed shut on Ankara.
Raising the risk of a political showdown, the European Parliament issued a stern warning to Ankara to recognize Cyprus and acknowledge that the Ottomans committed ‘genocide’ against Armenians during World War I, two highly sensitive issues that have already strained ties.
The parliament did, however, endorse the start of talks set for Monday.
The EU’s British presidency, meanwhile, battled to resolve a deadlock over the negotiating framework — the guiding procedures and principles of the talks — with Austria insisting on a reference to an eventual ‘partnership’ instead of full membership for Turkey.
“It is natural that we shall make the necessary evaluations following the clarification of the negotiating framework and take our final step accordingly,” Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Namik Tan told reporters.
“It is out of the question that we accept any formula or suggestion other than full membership,” he said.
EU ambassadors were scheduled to meet later on Wednesday and throughout Thursday to try to end the dispute before the talks, which were given a green light by the EU at a December 17 summit, get under way in Luxembourg.
Noting the atmosphere of uncertainty and possible last-minute wrangling, a senior Turkish diplomat said that it was not even clear when Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul would fly to Luxembourg.
“The airplane will be waiting at the airport and when everything is resolved, we will go,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Other than the Austrian obstacle, he explained, some EU countries are pushing for tougher terms that go beyond the principles outlined in the EU’s December 17 decisions concerning Turkey, but declined to elaborate.
Turkish newspapers reported that one draft provision that particularly irked Ankara was a demand that Turkey abstain from obstructing the membership of EU countries in other international organizations.
The provision is widely interpreted as an attempt to block a Turkish veto to an eventual bid by Cyprus to join Nato.
Turkey’s refusal to recognize Cyprus is a major obstacle to its EU hopes, with the EU demanding that Ankara endorse the internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot government of the long-divided island during the accession process.
Throwing Britain’s weight behind Turkey, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw warned that “it would now be a huge betrayal of the hopes and expectations of the Turkish people and of Prime Minister (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan’s programme of reform if, at this crucial time, we turned our back on Turkey.
“Anchor Turkey in the West and we gain a beacon of democracy and modernity, a country with a Muslim majority, which will be a shining example across the whole of its neighbouring region,” he told the Labour Party’s annual conference in Brighton.
Turkey has been trying to join the EU for decades but its place in Europe has come increasingly into question, particularly since French and Dutch voters rejected a planned EU constitution, partly over concerns about the membership of this sizeable and relatively poor Muslim country.
Underscoring increasingly hostile public opinion in parts of Europe, the heated debate on Wednesday at the European Parliament also saw deputies harshly criticize Turkey’s record on human rights and religious freedoms.
Ankara urged EU countries to reflect on a ‘strategic vision’.
“Our membership carries great importance with respect to the contribution (it would make) to the future of Europe as well as the Middle East and the Caucasus and particularly to the building of an alliance between civilizations,” Tan said.—AFP
