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Jack Straw International Herald Tribune |
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LONDON
LONDON
Twenty-two months ago I stood in the rubble of what had once been the fine
perimeter buildings and courtyard of Pera House, the British
consulate-general building in Istanbul. A few hours before, it had been blown
up by Al Qaeda-linked suicide bombers. Sixteen people were killed - three
British and 13 Turkish citizens. Alongside
me that somber evening was the governor of Istanbul and my friend, Abdullah
Gul, Turkey's foreign minister. I had many emotions, but one was of the
reassuring, uncompromising solidarity I was offered by the Turkish government
and people; the other of how familiar - yes, European - Istanbul felt; how
close together we were despite the efforts of the terrorists to divide us. I've often
thought of that day during our many discussions about Turkey's longstanding
application to join the European Union. As the Oct. 3 date set for the start
of negotiations toward full membership approaches, it is worth underlining
Turkey's strategic importance and the momentous consequences that will follow
from that decision. In school
I was taught that the boundary between Europe and Asia went straight down the
Bosporus, through the middle of Istanbul. Of course, "Asian"
influences in Turkey are strong, just as "North African" influences
are in Spain or Italy. But we in
Europe long ago decided where we wanted Turkey to be anchored. In 1952, we -
the United States, Germany, Britain, France and others - invited Turkey to
join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In 1963, Turkey signed an
association agreement that led to a Customs Union with the European Union. That
agreement held out the prospect of EU membership. In 1987, Turkey applied, in
1999, it was granted candidate-country status, and in 2002 the European
Council decided that it would open accession negotiations once Turkey had
fulfilled the political criteria for membership. These
decisions by the European Council about Turkey have been about nothing less
than the kind of Europe we are creating. There are now two options: a Europe
turned inward on itself or a Europe looking outward to the rest of the world;
one that expands its boundaries to build a wider community of stable,
prosperous democracies or one that closes the door to its neighbors. We don't
have the luxury of choice. We live in a world of global challenges and global
competition. A static Europe will not face either with confidence. Stopping
enlargement would only weaken Europe's ability to compete with emerging Asian
economies. And
enlargement has been good for new member states and the EU as a whole. For
Spain, Portugal and Greece in the 1970s and 80s, for East European countries
in the 1990s, both the prospect of membership and then its reality have acted
as a powerful motor for change. When some of these new members began their
talks they were far short of the membership standards. They transformed
during that process, just as Turkey will have done by the time it joins the
Union. Enlargement
has not diluted the stability and prosperity of current member states; it has
enhanced it. It has peacefully united much of Europe after generations of
division and conflict. It has increased the influence of the EU in the wider
world. So why
Turkey and why start now? Estimates are that Turkey's economy will grow by 10
percent next year - more than any of the economies of the current European
Union. Half of Turkey's trade is already with the EU, and it is already a
major market for British and EU exporters. The
political case for Turkish accession is even more powerful. It would show how
diversity of culture and religion is compatible with a unity of purpose. A
stable, prosperous Turkey, a secular nation with a majority Muslim
population, anchored in the European Union, would be a powerful symbol. Why now?
Because it's time. The prospect of EU membership, particularly over the last
three years, has driven an impressive process of change in Turkey. Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP government has pursued a thoroughgoing
and courageous program of reform, including the abolition of the death
penalty and measures to combat torture. Last
December, the European Council decided that Turkey had sufficiently met the
Copenhagen political criteria to begin negotiations on Oct. 3. So what's
the problem? In part, it is the still-unsettled issue of the divided island
of Cyprus. In 1997, it was Britain that took the lead in arguing that the
absence of a settlement should not be a barrier to Cyprus joining the EU, and
we welcomed Cyprus into membership last year. Sadly, the UN-sponsored process
to unite the island, supported by the EU, was not successful. But we continue
to support UN efforts. There is
still a lot of detailed work to be done before Oct. 3, but with good will it
can be. Yet it is clearly right that the European Union should now follow
through on its decision to begin negotiations under tight European Commission
supervision. To do otherwise would not only compromise the credibility of the
EU but might also endanger the considerable progress already made in Turkey. We should
be very clear about the danger that represents. If we get it wrong now we
could find that we have a crisis on our own doorstep. Jack Straw is Britain's Foreign Secretary. |
Clashes add to Turkey’s political tension
By Vincent Boland in Ankara
Published: September 7 2005 18:10 | Last updated: September 7
2005 18:10
While Turkey’s attempt to join the European Union has run into
resistance because of Ankara’s unwillingness to recognise the divided island of
Cyprus, clashes between Turkish nationalists and Kurds have increased political
tensions at home.
In spite of
attempts by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, to reach out to the
separatist Kurds, a rise in demonstrations and violent incidents involving
nationalists and Kurdish separatist sympathisers has led to hundreds of arrests
in recent weeks.
Turkey’s
political leaders and the military have called for restraint after clashes in
Istanbul, Turkey’s biggest city and economic capital, as well as towns across
eastern Turkey, where many Turks of Kurdish origin live.
The violence has
been sparked by provocation from both sides as well as a power struggle in the
Kurdish separatist movement that has simmered since a bloody conflict with the
security forces petered out in 2001 after the jailing of the movement’s leader.
The unrest
coincides with a rising sense of political tension inside Turkey as it approaches
the start of its long-cherished goal of beginning talks to join the EU.
Although the
focus of the unrest appears to be Kurdish separatism, some diplomats in Ankara
say it is symptomatic of efforts by Turkish nationalists to embarrass the
Islamist-oriented, pro-EU government ahead of the beginning of the talks, which
are due to open on October 3.
“Now you can see
why this government cannot make any more concessions on Cyprus,” a diplomat
said, referring to intense pressure on the Turkish government from some of its
counterparts in the EU to recognise the government of Cyprus, an EU member,
before the accession process begins, or as soon as possible after that.
Mr Erdogan and
Abdullah Gul, foreign minister, have both rejected the demand and threatened to
walk away from the EU if Ankara is forced to make more concessions.
The political
clashes have overshadowed an attempt by the government in recent weeks to show
that it is adopting a fresh approach to the south-east.
Analysts and
diplomats say the political leadership of Turkey’s Kurdish separatist movement
remains riven by a power struggle and that many of its existing leaders are
either still in thrall to Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed PKK leader, or fearful of
his acolytes.
FT 08/09/2005
EU split on Turkey-Cyprus ultimatum
By Vincent Boland in Ankara
Published: September 8 2005 03:00 | Last updated: September 8
2005 03:00
Ambassadors
to the European Union met yesterday in Brussels in a continuing attempt to
agree on a statement calling on Turkey to seek to normalise relations with
Cyprus in coming years.
Cyprus wants a tough statement on recognition, but the UK, which
currently holds the EU presidency, fears a tough ultimatum could prompt Turkey
to walk away before the start of the October 3 talks.
Meanwhile, clashes between nationalists and Kurds are adding to
domestic tensions in Turkey. In spite of attempts by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the
prime minister, to reach out to the separatist Kurds, a rise in demonstrations
and violent incidents involving nationalists and Kurdish separatist
sympathisers has led to hundreds of arrests in recent weeks.
Turkey's political leaders and the military on Tuesday called for
restraint after clashes in Istanbul, Turkey's biggest city and economic
capital, as well as towns across eastern Turkey, where many Turks of Kurdish
origin live.
The violence has been sparked by provocation from both sides as
well as a power struggle in the Kurdish separatist movement that has simmered
since a bloody conflict with the security forces petered out in 2001 after the
jailing of the movement's leader.
Although the focus of the unrest appears to be Kurdish separatism,
some diplomats in Ankara say it is symptomatic of efforts by Turkish
nationalists to embarrass the Islamist-oriented, pro-EU government ahead of the
beginning of the talks.
"Now you can see why this government cannot make any more
concessions on Cyprus," a diplomat said, referring to intense pressure on
the Turkish government from some of its counterparts in the EU to recognise the
government of Cyprus, an EU member, before the accession process begins, or as
soon as possible after that.
Mr Erdogan and Abdullah Gul, foreign minister, have both rejected
the demand and threatened to walk away from the EU if Ankara is forced to make
more concessions.
The political clashes have overshadowed an attempt by the
government in recent weeks to show that it is adopting a fresh approach to the
south-east.
Analysts and diplomats say the political leadership of Turkey's
Kurdish separatist movement remains riven by a power struggle.
FT 08/09/2005
EU stance on Turkey will make 'clash of
civilisations' a reality
By David Barchard
Published: September 8 2005 03:00 | Last updated: September 8
2005 03:00
From Mr
David Barchard.
Sir, You are clearly right to insist both that the European Union
must keep its promises to Turkey and that events such as the prosecution of the
novelist Orhan Pamuk are incompatible with Turkey's bid for EU membership
("EU must honour its promise to Turkey", September 5).
But if there is a "conspiracy of silence" about the
human cost of the clashes in the Balkans and the Caucasus in the 19th and early
20th centuries, it is not simply Turkish, but Christian European also.
About 5.5m European Muslims died as a result of the activities of
Christian ethno-nationalists in the late Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1923.
Many more were driven from their homes, with the acquiescence of the western
powers, and their descendants make up about half the population of Turkey
today. Between 1912 and 1923, about 2.3m Muslims died in Anatolia as a result
of war.
Western European opinion consistently ignores that, just as it
ignores the expulsion of about 1m Azeris from their homes in or around Nagorno
Karabakh after 1990, and it currently seems to have forgotten the Turkish
Cypriots. Instead it focuses on the grievances of Christian ethno-nationalist
groups and makes them into live political issues. Is the EU bent on turning the
"clash of civilisations" into reality?
David Barchard,
FT 08/09/05
Violent clashes add to political tension for Turkey
By Vincent Boland in Ankara
Published: September 8 2005 03:00 | Last updated: September 8
2005 03:00
Ambassadors
to the European Union met yesterday in Brussels in a continuing attempt to agree
on a statement calling on Turkey to seek to normalise relations with Cyprus in
coming years.
Cyprus wants a tough statement on recognition, but the UK, which
currently holds the EU presidency, fears that a tough ultimatum could prompt
Turkeyto walk away before the beginning of the talks, scheduled for October 3.
Meanwhile clashes be-tween nationalists and Kurds are adding to
domestic tensions in Turkey. In spite of attempts by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the
prime minister, to reach out to the separatist Kurds, a rise in demonstrations
and violent incidents involving nationalists and Kurdish separatist
sympathisers has led to hundreds of arrests in recent weeks.
Turkey's political leaders and the military on Tuesday called for
restraint after clashes in Istanbul, Turkey's biggest city and economic
capital, as well as towns across eastern Turkey, where many Turks of Kurdish
origin live.
The violence has been sparked by provocation from both sides as
well as a power struggle in the Kurdish separatist movement that has simmered
since a bloody conflict with the security forces petered out in 2001 after the
jailing of the movement's leader.
Although the focus of the unrest appears to be Kurdish separatism,
some diplomats in Ankara say it is symptomatic of efforts by Turkish
nationalists to embarrass the Islamist-oriented, pro-EU government ahead of the
beginning of the talks.
"Now you can see why this government cannot make any more
concessions on Cyprus," a diplomat said, referring to intense pressure on
the Turkish government from some of its EU counterparts to recognise the
government of Cyprus, an EU member, before the accession process begins, or as
soon as possible after that.
Mr Erdogan and Abdullah Gul, the foreign minister, have rejected
the demand and threatened to walk away from the EU if forced to make more
concessions.
But Turkey has also indicated it is ready to recognise the Cypriot
government as part of a wider settlement to the island's division into Greek
and Turkish areas.
The political clashes have overshadowed an attempt by the
government in recent weeks to show that it is adopting a fresh approach to the
south-east.
Analysts and diplomats say the political leadership of Turkey's
Kurdish separatist movement is riven by a power struggle and many of its
leaders are either in thrall to Abdullah Ocalan, jailed PKK leader, or fearful
of his acolytes.
FT 08/09/05