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Turkey's enthusiasm for EU membership declining
By Seth Rosen
The Washington Times
Aug 14 2005
ANKARA, Turkey -- Turks are becoming increasingly disillusioned with
the European Union's stringent stipulations for membership and are
rethinking entering a club they have yearned to join for 40 years.
After the initial jubilation in December 2004 of securing an October
date to begin accession talks, the need to make concessions on
politically sensitive issues has engendered a tide of uncertainty in
this expanding nation of 70 million.
In a poll conducted in May, 63 percent of the Turks who responded
said that they would like to see their country attain membership --
down from 75 percent in December.
"The general enthusiasm about membership is eroding, and as the EU
demands become clearer, the public will shy away more and more,"
said Hasan Unal, a professor of international relations at Bilkent
University in Ankara.
French and Greek officials called last week for Turkey to recognize the
Greek Cypriot government in Cyprus or risk derailing its EU bid. This
is part of a mounting list of demands from EU members that challenge
Turkish identity and fundamental values, politicians and analysts
here said.
[Visit a blog post related to this article:
blog.wpherald.com/wphblog/?p=58]
"Europeans don't fully understand the limits to patience on this
side," said Suat Kiniklioglu, director of the Ankara office of the
German Marshall Fund of the United States. "We're not yet counting
on Plan B, but the euphoria is gone."
Expectations were raised after the December decision, as Turks
anticipated an immediate flood of foreign investment and a decrease
in unemployment. A disappointment has permeated the nation as no real
benefits have accrued to date, said Emine Sirin, an independent member
of Parliament.
Since December, many Turks have seen a significant change in the
attitude of Europeans. As public opinion in most EU countries has
crystallized against Turkish accession, European politicians have
started taking a firmer stance as well.
One of the central reasons cited for the rejection of the European
constitution in France and the Netherlands in May was disgruntlement
with past and future enlargement of the bloc, especially for
predominantly Muslim Turkey.
More worrying for Turkey is the German election scheduled for
September, in which the Christian Democrats are favored to win. Their
leader, Angela Merkel, is an adamant opponent of Turkish membership and
instead advocates a "privileged partnership." French President Jacques
Chirac has vowed to hold a separate referendum on Turkey's membership.
This is part of an increasingly unjust treatment of Turkey's
application, said Onur Oymen, the vice chairman of the Turkey-European
Union Joint Parliamentary Committee, who points out that French
citizens did not vote when Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania applied.
Some European politicians, emphatically led by the French, have called
on Turkey to recognize the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks in 1915 as "genocide," a red line for all Turkish politicians.
"People are disappointed with the double standards we are facing,"
said Hasan Ali Karasar, a researcher at Ankara's Center for Eurasian
Strategic Studies. "What they ask for is against our tradition,
culture, history and strategic location."
Others are more cynical and think that the European Union is meddling
in Turkey's internal affairs to dissuade it from continuing with
negotiations.
"What the EU is trying to do is frustrate us with unacceptable
demands so that Turkey will say 'We give up and don't want to be a
member,'?" said Mr. Unal, the professor at Bilkent University. "This
way, they don't have to turn us down."
A growing chorus of pundits in Turkey, frustrated with perceived EU
interference in internal matters, is beginning to see a "privileged
partnership" as an attractive measure. A special status would pull
the country closer economically to the European Union but allow it
to retain its sovereignty.
It would also restore a sense of balance to Turks, who currently
possess little leverage in their discussion with the European Union,
Mr. Unal said.
By Seth Rosen
The Washington Times
Aug 14 2005
ANKARA, Turkey -- Turks are becoming increasingly disillusioned with
the European Union's stringent stipulations for membership and are
rethinking entering a club they have yearned to join for 40 years.
After the initial jubilation in December 2004 of securing an October
date to begin accession talks, the need to make concessions on
politically sensitive issues has engendered a tide of uncertainty in
this expanding nation of 70 million.
In a poll conducted in May, 63 percent of the Turks who responded
said that they would like to see their country attain membership --
down from 75 percent in December.
"The general enthusiasm about membership is eroding, and as the EU
demands become clearer, the public will shy away more and more,"
said Hasan Unal, a professor of international relations at Bilkent
University in Ankara.
French and Greek officials called last week for Turkey to recognize the
Greek Cypriot government in Cyprus or risk derailing its EU bid. This
is part of a mounting list of demands from EU members that challenge
Turkish identity and fundamental values, politicians and analysts
here said.
[Visit a blog post related to this article:
blog.wpherald.com/wphblog/?p=58]
"Europeans don't fully understand the limits to patience on this
side," said Suat Kiniklioglu, director of the Ankara office of the
German Marshall Fund of the United States. "We're not yet counting
on Plan B, but the euphoria is gone."
Expectations were raised after the December decision, as Turks
anticipated an immediate flood of foreign investment and a decrease
in unemployment. A disappointment has permeated the nation as no real
benefits have accrued to date, said Emine Sirin, an independent member
of Parliament.
Since December, many Turks have seen a significant change in the
attitude of Europeans. As public opinion in most EU countries has
crystallized against Turkish accession, European politicians have
started taking a firmer stance as well.
One of the central reasons cited for the rejection of the European
constitution in France and the Netherlands in May was disgruntlement
with past and future enlargement of the bloc, especially for
predominantly Muslim Turkey.
More worrying for Turkey is the German election scheduled for
September, in which the Christian Democrats are favored to win. Their
leader, Angela Merkel, is an adamant opponent of Turkish membership and
instead advocates a "privileged partnership." French President Jacques
Chirac has vowed to hold a separate referendum on Turkey's membership.
This is part of an increasingly unjust treatment of Turkey's
application, said Onur Oymen, the vice chairman of the Turkey-European
Union Joint Parliamentary Committee, who points out that French
citizens did not vote when Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania applied.
Some European politicians, emphatically led by the French, have called
on Turkey to recognize the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks in 1915 as "genocide," a red line for all Turkish politicians.
"People are disappointed with the double standards we are facing,"
said Hasan Ali Karasar, a researcher at Ankara's Center for Eurasian
Strategic Studies. "What they ask for is against our tradition,
culture, history and strategic location."
Others are more cynical and think that the European Union is meddling
in Turkey's internal affairs to dissuade it from continuing with
negotiations.
"What the EU is trying to do is frustrate us with unacceptable
demands so that Turkey will say 'We give up and don't want to be a
member,'?" said Mr. Unal, the professor at Bilkent University. "This
way, they don't have to turn us down."
A growing chorus of pundits in Turkey, frustrated with perceived EU
interference in internal matters, is beginning to see a "privileged
partnership" as an attractive measure. A special status would pull
the country closer economically to the European Union but allow it
to retain its sovereignty.
It would also restore a sense of balance to Turks, who currently
possess little leverage in their discussion with the European Union,
Mr. Unal said.