Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Another Turning Point for Turkish-EU Relations
by TURKISH Daily News - 26 November, 2000
Posted: Monday, December 04, 2000 06:30 am CST

In the wake of the EU postponing its decision on the Accession Partnership Document, Prime Minister Ecevit -- in surprisingly strong language -- accuses the EU of 'duping' Turkey. Dec. 4, when the document will once more be handled by the EU General Affairs Council, could be another turning point for relations

Ankara - Turkish Daily News

Dec. 4 could be another turning point for Turkey for its relations with the European Union, since on that day the EU General Affairs Council will decide whether or not to endorse Turkey's Accession Partnership Document. Greece has been pushing hard to put extra conditions in the document that would bind Turkey further, whereas Ankara is already furious over the last-minute changes under which Greece inserted the Cyprus dispute in the document's short-term measures section. Dec. 4 as the document's "day of decision" represents a postponement from an earlier-announced date of Nov. 20.

Relations between Ankara and Brussels have soured recently with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's statement that EU had "duped" Turkey on certain topics, namely Cyprus and the Aegean disputes. Ecevit accused the EU club of not keeping its promises. In a clear warning to the EU, Ecevit made it clear that Turkey would react strongly in case the document includes a reference to the Aegean disputes, and that its response would be "not just verbal."

What will happen on Dec. 4 is not yet clear. Ankara hasn't issued a statement over the decision to postpone a decision on the document, but is preparing itself both for a worse document or for the document to be endorsed as it is. Most EU members have already declared that they don't want the document go beyond the Helsinki summit conclusions which officially made Turkey "a candidate" to the club. However, Greece has a strong leverage in terms of the regulation framework. If Greece refuses to sign the framework agreement which gives the EU Commission (EC) a mandate to prepare the Accession Partnership Document, then the document will never be an official one. The EC needs a unanimous vote to go ahead with the preparation of the document. Greece is now threatening that if a reference to the Aegean disputes missing isn't included in the document, then it won't sign the regulation framework agreement.

Listening to the other EU diplomats in Ankara, one can conclude that EU Term President France wants to sort out the issue on Dec. 4 since it doesn't want the issue to linger on and shadow the Nice summit which is coming up in two weeks' time. Drawing attention to the Helsinki summit last year which was preoccupied with Turkey's candidacy, EU diplomats say France will do its best to solve the issue before Nice. If not, Sweden will have to tackle the issue during its upcoming EU term presidency. Sweden is known to be one of the most critical EU members with regard to Turkey, particularly its human rights record. Having said that, it is believed that France will do its best to get the document endorsed as the other result would be embarrassing for a term president.

Speculations are running high in Ankara that if there is another delay in the endorsement of the document, Turkey could adopt a attitude similar to the one it adopted after the Luxembourg summit when it cut its political dialogue with the EU in the wake of the members' refused to declare Turkey a formal candidate. Evaluating Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou's statements last week that Athens was in no hurry for the document to be endorsed, one can easily say that speculations that Turkey could make a serious response are far from unlikely.

Ankara both lobbying and preparing for the worst scenario Ankara has accelerated its efforts to lobby in EU capitals and Brussels to convince member countries that relations may suffer damage in case further conditions are imposed on Ankara. While the lobbying continues, Ankara is vigilantly taking into consideration that the result may be either positive or negative. EU diplomats in Ankara, too, have been split into two groups, some calling the postponement decision a positive one, others saying that it is bad news for Ankara.

Commenting on the document, Turkish authorities think despite the reference to the Cyprus dispute in the short term-measures, the draft paper was an acceptable one. However, with Greece's insistence of putting further conditions such as the Aegean disputes in the medium-term measures, Ankara's reaction has taken a more severe tone against any new changes. Turkey has made it clear that it has endorsed the document as it was announced on Nov. 8. but would not tolerate more changes to it, particularly any coming from Greece. This was underlined during Foreign Undersecretary Faruk Logoglu's meeting with EU ambassadors in Ankara along with the EC representative Karen Fogg last week. Logoglu reportedly said that Turkish public opinion, which is overwhelmingly pro-EU membership, could turn against it if Greece keeps putting in new conditions and the EU supports Greece's position.

Turkish diplomats who have evaluated the latest situation have put forward a three-point assessment. 1- Turkey is not happy with the reference to the Cyprus dispute in the short-term measures of the Accession Partnership Document and has conveyed its displeasure to EU members. However, there is a chance that this reference could be deleted, although the practice is to endorse the draft as it has been prepared, 2- Leading up to Dec. 4, Greece may increase its efforts to put the Aegean disputes in the medium-term measures of the document. That would certainly increase Turkey's anger and would, in a way, push Turkey to reconsider its relations with the EU. 3- The delay in the endorsement of the document will definitely slow down the process of preparing the National Program by which Turkey will tell EU how it will achieve the necessary reforms to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria. This assessment stresses that the process up until Dec. 4 could go a number of ways, omitting the Cyprus reference or endorsing the document as it is now, which would be seen as a positive development, or Greece could be successful in putting in a reference to the Aegean disputes, which would definitely escalate the tension between Ankara and Brussels.

The Foreign Ministry is not expected to make a statement on the postponement decision. Turkish authorities have also made it clear that they aren't particularly concerned over Sweden's term presidency. even though speculations run high that Sweden would be very critical of Turkey particularly in terms of human rights and the Kurdish issue.

Another prediction from European circles in Ankara is that the document will be endorsed on Dec. 4 and that the Greek government is pursuing a tactical war so as not to be weakened in domestic politics. This view stresses that Greece's push for the Aegean disputes to be inserted into the document was just in order to block the EU's further demands to omit the Cyprus reference. "Greece is happy, I guess, and they will endorse the document on Dec. 4," said one EU diplomat. Turkish diplomats cautious over Greece's stance are stating they have to wait and see before making any comments.

The expectation is that the document will be finally endorsed on Dec. 4 but that if it is not -- in the words of one EU diplomat -- "then we will face a very difficult situation." Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem have already made it clear that if the document is not endorsed, Turkey will react, and not just "with words alone."

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