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ANKARA, May 30: Turkey’s government and financial markets shrugged off France’s rejection of the European Union constitution, but lawmakers and political analysts said on Monday it could damage Ankara’s bid to join the EU. “This result is something which concerns the French public ... not Turkey,” the state Anatolian news agency quoted Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as saying.
“The start of negotiations is in our hands ... What would prevent Turkey starting the negotiations is doing things contrary to EU standards or not fulfilling the things it has promised to do.” Turkey is due to start entry talks on Oct. 3 but is not expected to join the European Union before 2015 at the earliest.
Economy Minister Ali Babacan, named last week as Turkey’s chief negotiator in EU talks, said the country would stick to its target of EU membership. “In our long negotiation process, various political currents will be seen in different countries,” Anatolian quoted him as saying. “Every stage of the negotiations will raise Turkey’s standards one level higher.”
Turkish financial markets, jittery for weeks ahead of the referendum, closed firmer on Monday as a French “No” had largely been factored into prices, brokers said. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, whose country takes over the EU’s rotating presidency on July 1, rang Gul to reassure him that negotiations would start on Oct. 3 as planned.
Mr Straw also reaffirmed Britain’s strong support for Turkey’s EU accession, Anatolian reported. The constitution, which aims to adapt EU institutions to an enlarged union of 25 or more countries, makes no reference to Turkey’s possible accession. But French “No” campaigners played on voters’ fears of admitting the large, mainly Muslim country.
TURKISH WOES: “The French result shows that European public opinion is not ready to welcome Turkey as a partner,” said Emin Sirin, an independent member of the Turkish parliament.
Mr Sirin said a general election in Germany, likely to take place in September, would add to Turkey’s woes because it is likely to bring to power the Christian Democrats, who oppose Ankara’s accession and favour instead a loosely defined “privileged partnership”.
“The idea of Turkey becoming a full member of the EU is virtually dead,” said Hasan Unal, a Eurosceptic professor of international relations at Ankara’s Bilkent University.
ASSURANCE TO BALKANS: Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia, Serbia-Montenegro and Albania hope France’s rejection is not a sign of enlargement fatigue that could slow down their long-delayed membership bids. In every Balkan capital on Monday, leaders were at pains to reassure their people the French rejection of the EU treaty did not mean the door had slammed shut.—Reuters
