'Bravo Austria, Hold on as in 1683'

[Gavur]

By Suleyman Kurt
Published: Tuesday, October 04, 2005
zaman.com


A group of a few hundred people, most of whom hold Armenian flags, shout in unison just across the building, where European Union foreign ministers are meeting to discuss the Negotiation Frame Document.

It is not difficult to understand why this crowd, which is "kicking up a riot" in front of the building, opposes Turkey's EU membership as tough bargaining continues for the most critical decision of Ankara's adventure of the EU. The flags of EU, France, Greece, Belgium and the Greek Cypriot also wave among the Armenian flags. They shout slogans against Turkey yelling "murderer Turkey". They hold red cards in their hands and whistles in their mouths...


The intensive effort made by Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik in order to remove Turkey from the perspective of full membership is fully supported by the demonstrators outside. This attitude of Austria that acts with "paranoiac fear" inherited from the sieges of Vienna is "congratulated" with reference made by the demonstrators to the Second Siege of Vienna: "Bravo Austria, hang on! Just like in 1683..."The defeat of the Turkish Army led by Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha that was advancing towards Vienna 154 years after the first siege was the last march of the Ottomans towards Europe. "The last thing" the demonstrators want to see among them is an ”unfriendly" Turk, even if it is a Turkish reporter... When we approach them in order to speak, they immediately ask "Are you coming from Turkey?" when they see the mark "Istanbul" on our bag; They become a little bit curious and a little bit angry... The reactions of just a few people instantly make the atmosphere tense; just like Austria did in the meeting hall. They definitely do not want to hear the answer "Yes, we are Turk." Following our words, "We came from Turkey. We are following the meetings inside," another very sharp question comes: "Are you reporters friendly towards the Armenians?" Their intention is to see where we stand in view of their position. A Turk, who enters among them, must be a "friend", they think probably.


They all insistently want to hear the word "genocide". They get angrier when we say "No genocide took place, this discussion is neither our job nor yours; It is the job of the historians." Some of them warn their friends "Don't speak!" Another says "If I were you, I wouldn't stay here any longer." There is only room for their "friends" among them. Another demonstrator says "How dare you stay among us as a Turk?"


A few Armenians join the conversation in Turkish. One of them says that he was born in Istanbul, but lives in France like the majority of them do . The conversation is interrupted by a foreign minister car which appears from afar Red cards begin to wave again as the people take their whistles and wave their flags.

[Gavur]

Turks need 'cultural revolution' to join EU

By David Rennie in Brussels
(Filed: 05/10/2005)

Turkey must undergo a "major cultural revolution" if it is ever to join the European Union, France's President Jacques Chirac insisted yesterday.

That effort would take "at least 10 to 15 years", Mr Chirac said after a British-led diplomatic marathon cleared the way for Turkish accession talks in the early hours of yesterday.

His words captured the mixed mood of alarm and relief among EU leaders as the historic process of entry talks began. Several said that another rejection by Europe would have pushed Turkey towards "hate" and Islamic fundamentalism.

But the same leaders - many of whose electorates are strongly opposed to Turkey's entry - gave a warning that it would take at least a decade of reforms before the Muslim nation of 70 million would be ready for Union membership.

Mr Chirac, an increasingly equivocal supporter of Turkish entry, danced around the question of whether Turkey would ever make it into the EU. "Will it succeed? I cannot say. I hope so," he said. "But I am not at all sure."

France and Austria have both promised their citizens referendums on Turkish entry. A recent European Commission opinion poll showed 70 per cent of French voters opposed to Turkish entry, and 80 per cent of Austrians.



The talks opened only after weeks of intense British diplomacy. Austria fought to the bitter end to have the EU agreement with Turkey rewritten to play down the chances of full membership, only giving way an hour and a half before the scheduled start of talks.

The Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, said a rejected Turkey would have felt like a spurned lover.

He said: "If love is rejected, it can turn to hate."

[email protected]

[Gavur]

Uruguay Armenians Stage Protest Against Turkey`s Accession To Eu

Friday, October 07, 2005 : Yerkir

YEREVAN, 06.10.05. Members of Uruguay`s Armenian community joined in the protest demonstration on October 3 outside the European Union mission in Montevideo, organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation`s `Armenia` Youth Union. Protesters held up Armenian tricolors and posters reading `Historic truth cannot be hidden,` `Turkey, admit to your crime - the Armenian Genocide,` and `No to Turkey`s accession to EU unless Armenian Genocide recognition.`

Ethnic Armenian member of the Uruguay Parliament Lilian Keshishian, accompanied by MP Ivan Posatas, joined the protesters.

A delegation of the protesters handed to the EU representative a petition signed by 30,000 people, demanding that EU denies Turkey`s bid unless that country recognizes the Armenian Genocide.

http://www.yerkir.am/eng/index.php?sub=news_arm&id=19494

Yerkir
2005-10-06 10:07:00

[Gavur]

Viennese set to repel Turks' new advance on the West

The Times January 02, 2006


From Rory Watson in Brussels



HISTORY is turning full circle for Austria as it takes over the six-month presidency of the European Union from Britain.
A little over three centuries ago Austrian forces, reinforced by their Polish allies, dashed the Ottoman Empire’s aggressive ambitions for Western Europe when they defeated the Turkish army at the second siege of Vienna.



Ironically, having been the bulwark against Turkish military expansion in 1683, Austria now finds itself representing its 24 EU allies in handling Ankara’s diplomatic campaign to win a place at the European Union’s top table.

But more recent history, too, makes this a difficult task for Vienna. Last October Austria, which contains Europe’s third-largest Turkish expatriate community after Germany and France, almost disrupted EU plans to open formal accession negotiations. It argued instead for a privileged partnership with Turkey, which stopped well short of full membership.

Its stance reflected strong domestic hostility to the inclusion of a large economically underdeveloped Muslim country within the EU’s borders.

The opposition was also used, successfully, as a tactical ploy to force its EU partners to agree to open parallel entry negotiations with Croatia.

Turkey has already made clear that, after the preparatory work of the past few weeks — hailed as one of the few triumphs of an otherwise disappointing British presidency — it is looking for substantive entry negotiations to begin early in the year, even if these take a decade or more to conclude.

Abdullah Gul, the Turkish Foreign Minister, said recently: “We expect actual negotiations to start in the first months of 2006.” However, Ursula Plassnik, his Austrian counterpart, is already playing down expectations. “It is too early for me to judge whether it will be possible to start one or the other chapters in the first half of the year,” she said shortly before Christmas.

In contrast to the caution it is showing towards Turkey, Austria, once at the heart of the former Habsburg Empire, is determined to use its geography and history to focus the eyes of Brussels on the Balkans.

It is looking to move forward accession negotiations with Croatia and will play a key role in deciding whether Romania and Bulgaria — where it is the largest foreign investor — meet the EU’s entry requirements and can join next January or must wait a further year.

To prevent any possible backsliding among existing members, notably France, the Austrian Government intends to reaffirm the EU’s existing commitment, first made two years ago, that the western Balkan countries’ future lies firmly in a “European perspective”.

It will put this into practice by inviting government representatives from Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Serbia Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to attend, for the first time, all the informal ministerial meetings, ranging from foreign affairs to education and justice, of their EU counterparts. “We want to concentrate on practical issues and keep them engaged,” one Austrian official said.

The presidency has not had the most auspicious of starts. The Government was forced to intervene to remove posters from an art festival showing pornographic images of the Queen, President Bush and President Chirac.

The immediate challenge facing the Austrian presidency is to nail down the budget agreement that Tony Blair brokered before Christmas. Legally, the European Parliament and Commission can still reject the seven-year EU package and Vienna will need to work behind the scenes to stop it unravelling. In the longer term Austria, which along with 12 other EU members has already ratified the treaty, will have to recommend whether finally to scrap the draft European constitution or try to salvage some of its less controversial elements.


CHALLENGES FACING AUSTRIAN PRESIDENCY OF THE EU


Budget EU leaders have agreed a long-term budget for 2007-13 but Austria must still negotiate a final agreement with the Commission and the Parliament

Enlargement Open talks with Turkey, decide on Romanian and Bulgarian entry

Constitution The rejection by French and Dutch voters of the proposed constitution has left the EU in disarray. There will be a summit on the subject on June 15-16

Services Directive Austria wants a controversial Bill that would open up the EU market in services to be withdrawn and rethought

Reform The popularity of the EU with the public needs addressing. A summit on economic reform has been set for March 23-24

[sue35205]

Turkish values.

It is interesting that a society such as Turkish Society which, on the surface, upholds Turkish high ethics and morality(), in substance ranks very low in morals and ethics.

Clear example of such immorality comes to light when you observe abhorrence of male Homosexuality through Turkish values, but widely and secretly practiced conduct in the social chore, a conduct standing second to bribery, corruption, and pedophilia.

[Gavur]

Armenia and Austria Activate Interparliamentary Ties

Pan Armenian
20.01.2006 21:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ January 19 Armenian National Assembly Chairman Artur
Baghdassaryan met with President of the Austrian Federal Council Sissy
Roth-Halvax to discuss the issues referring to the Armenian-Austrian
interparliamentary ties and multilateral cooperation, reported RA NA
press office. The parties agreed on activating the interparliamentary
ties and the political dialogue within international organizations. The
heads of the Austrian and Armenian parliaments referred to the
cooperation within the European Neighborhood Policy and the role
Austria as the state presiding in the EU. They also discussed the
possibility of holding a parliamentary conference on the further
strategy of the European integration in Yerevan.

[Gavur]

Right-wing Austrian party pushes veto of Turkey's EU entry

Following Austrian govt's failure last year to prevent EU from opening membership talks with Turkey, right-wing Freedom Party starts petition to veto Turkey's EU entry. If 100,000 or more signatures are collected, its Parliament would be legally required to debate the issues

The right-wing Austrian Freedom Party started a petition Monday to veto Turkey's European Union entry and to hold a referendum aimed at curbing the Austria's participation in the EU.

"Keep Austria Free!" is the motto of the petition, which the party began circulating Monday. Interested Austrians have a week to sign the appeal, urging the government to lower its contributions to the EU and veto Turkey's entry into the bloc. It also urges Austria to maintain its official military neutrality.

If 100,000 or more signatures are collected, the Austrian Parliament would be legally required to debate the issues.

Last October, Austria's conservative government tried unsuccessfully to prevent the EU from formally opening membership talks with Turkey. Just three months later, Vienna took over the EU presidency for six months.

According to a December EU poll of nationalities in the bloc, Austrians are the least supportive of the EU: Only one in four Austrians asked thought belonging to the Union is a good thing.

ABHaber 07.03.2006 Vienna