Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

New formula may resolve EU impasse
by Selcuk Gultasli - Ankara - Turkish Daily News
Posted: Sunday, December 03, 2000 02:14 am CST

Despite accounts that Prime Minister Ecevit does not look warmly on the latest proposals to break the deadlock, EU diplomats say a new formula from the French term-presidency may bring a last-minute compromise.

While the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs was tightlipped about the European Union General Affairs Council meeting on Monday during which the Accession Partnership Document with Turkey will be discussed among EU members, a new formula has been presented to Ankara and Athens by the French term-presidency to break the deadlock.

Government sources told the Turkish Daily News Foreign Minister Ismail Cem has briefed Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit about his meetings in Brussels and in Vienna yesterday in a bid to formulate Turkey's position vis-a-vis the possible outcomes of Monday's meeting. Stressing that Cem has not sounded optimistic about an outcome that might please Turkey, government sources say Cem has told Ecevit that the EU was trying to find a provisional solution that would not anger either Turkey or Greece. Cem has told Ecevit that the EU was working on a formula by which both the Cyprus and Aegean disputes would be referred to in a non-operational or narrative chapter. Under the name of "enhancing political dialogue," the EU would be excluding the two thorny issues from the political criteria but referring to them in the document. Sources say that after carefully listening to Cem's remarks Ecevit did not seem "satisfied" with the proposal. "Ecevit said the EU was playing with the words and not engaging in a real effort to solve the issue," said a source.

Against a background of pessimism in Ankara, both Turkish and EU diplomats say that until the General Affairs Council meeting is over on Monday, anything can happen. A Western diplomat who refused to give details about the new formula said, "With the new formula the chances of a compromise on Monday are now 51 to 49."

Government sources indicate that Prime Minister Ecevit has not made up his mind whether to attend the Nice Summit on Dec. 7-8 or not. However, they add that it is likely that he will attend. EU diplomats in Ankara, commenting on the possibility that Ecevit might not attend the summit, say that would not be a positive step as "this would be a visible sign that Turkey does not want to be a candidate."

Western diplomats argue that while the document is being debated in Turkey, the internal EU discussion over reforming the organization has been missed. The Nice Summit will handle the reform issue at its Intergovernmental Conference, along with the European Security and Defence Policy on which there is still a lack of consensus. EU diplomats say institutional reform is vital for enlargement as the club has now been divided into two: those who want enlargement and those who want deepening. In other words, the summit will witness a war of "widening versus deepening."

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