Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Good news come from Brussels
by Mehmet Ali Birand (mbirand@attglobal.net) TURKISH Daily News. - 02 Dec. 2000
Posted: Monday, December 04, 2000 06:32 am CST

Comments and Analysis

It is declared that a formula that will satisfy Turkey on the Cyprus and Aegean crisis in the Accession Partnership Document has been found. Everything is left for Monday

Ankara - Turkish Daily News

While we were engaged in the interior developments, an astounding traffic was experienced among European capitals in order to be able to set the Turkey-European Union (EU) relations to right again.

Foreign Affairs Ministry, especially Minister Cem, was mobilized with its entire staff.

And Mesut Yilmaz, probably because of some political reasons, preferred to remain aside. However, he was expected to appear.

France who holds the EU Ministers Council Term Presidency strived a great deal. Its effort was to be able to turn the Accession Partnership Document into its original version prepared by Commisson official Verheugen.

Greece wants the inclusion of Cyprus and Aegean problems into the Copenhagen criteria and the making of the start of sessions with Turkey for its full membership contingent on the solution of these problems before the beginning of negotiations. And Turkey announced that it would not accept the Accession Partnership Document in such a case.

France is looking for a midway solution.

The proposal they drew is interesting.

According to this, Cyprus and Aegean issues will be taken out of Copenhagen Criteria just as Turkey wants; and they will be put under another title just Greece wants. So the satisfaction of the both sides' expectations will be secured.

Athens has the key in its hands.

First, French Foreign Affairs Minister Verdine and then Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministry Undersecretary Faruk Logoglu met Papandreu in Athens. Greece is still insistent. The problem stems especially from the government party Pasok. The inner party opposition which accuses Simitis of having had no progress on the Cyrus and Aegean issues is increasing its pressure. On the other hand, EU puts pressure on Simitis and forces him to accept the midway solution.

Simitis will utter the final word and it will be declared in the Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting of Monday. According to the latest news, Greece had aroused tendency to accept the reconciliation formula.

The commission is ill at ease

Verheugen is ill at ease from the present condition of the Accession Partnership Document. He describes the pressure of Greece and some other member countries' lending support to this secretly as a "faulty tactics." He also frankly says to people around him that he quitted by saying "Now its the capitals' concern."

The event got so spread far and wide that it seems it is impossible to get out of it.

If Turkey was satisfied, Greece would rebel and veto the decision made.

If what Greece says was accepted, Turkey would fade into the distance again.

The third possibility which was talked about through the weekend is the remaining of the problem undecided and its postponement to the summit of Nice which will be held in the weekend or to next year.

On Monday, a critical week both for Turkey and Greece will begin.

Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV)'s opinion "... It is not difficult to estimate how this reaction which means the pause of Turkey's full membership process, pleased some circles within EU, who have been striving for Turkey's becoming a stranger to Europe for years. Even, it is obvious that Turkey's going into a term of loneliness in Europe will extremely please these circles. Moreover the conditions Turkey would be dragged into as a result of Turkey's straining its relations with EU will not make the solution of our economic problems easier..."

"...Almost all of the Copenhagen political criteria we suppose to be our obligation against EU in fact do constitute our obligations for some international institutions such as European Council and United Nations that Turkey is already full member of. As for the economic criteria, they are our commitments against International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization. These criteria are goals which have no alternatives for Turkey as well as all civilized countries no matter we enter the EU or not. Turkish populations overwhelming majority deem themselves worth of these goals."

"...Both Turkey and EU should be aware of the fact that the starting of Accession Partnership process again in case of its stopping or remaining in suspense for a long time..."

"...Turkey should approach the oppositions that will occur between Turkey and EU in this process in a positive partnership attitude for the accession not to lose its dynamism and not to be interrupted. At the moment what is expected from our government is its making the necessary preparations. This means, its transforming the legal and administrative applications of our country into a state harmonious with the Copenhagen Criteria. The real urgencies of Turkey lie in this point..."

We'd better listen carefully to this approach.

Mehmet Ali Birand's article is translated by TDN staff

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