Cyprus vetoes Turkey's talks to gain EU entry

[Aristotelian]

Article by

David Gow Brussels
Saturday June 10, 2006
The Guardian


Talks between Turkey and the EU over the largely Muslim country's entry to the world's biggest trading bloc headed for collapse at the first hurdle last night after Cyprus torpedoed a deal to kick-start the stalled negotiations.
After signing up for a late-night compromise on Thursday, designed to allow formal accession talks with Turkey's foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, to go ahead on Monday, the republic of Cyprus unpicked the agreement on the least contentious issue of science and research - the first of 35 negotiating "chapters".



"It would be utterly humiliating for Mr Gul to head for Luxembourg and be told by the 25 EU foreign ministers that they had failed to get their act together and have the door slammed in his face," a senior European diplomat said as crisis talks among EU ambassadors got under way before ending in deadlock.
Mr Gul, who is due to be warned that Turkey's reform programme is unacceptably frozen, with renewed threats to his country's stability, support for human rights and religious freedom and judicial independence, has already suggested he could stay away or the talks be suspended. EU foreign ministers will try to unlock the door on Monday.

Turkey began entry talks on October 3 last year with a view to becoming the EU's first Muslim member by the middle of the next decade.

But the talks have been repeatedly held up by the refusal of the Islamist AKP (justice and development) government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan to recognise Cyprus - or at least honour an agreement to give the Greek part of the island access to a customs union with the EU's 10 new members, including to Turkish ports and airports.

Cyprus, in political manoeuvring that prompted some EU governments, including the UK, to withdraw concessions they had made to enable the Turkish talks to take place, demanded a more explicit reference to Ankara's adherence to the customs union deal. "They have new ministers and are acting ultra-politically," another diplomat said.

Ali Babacan, Turkey's chief negotiator, warned this week that the country should expect delays in its attempt to join the EU, and talks on the second "chapter", education and culture, could also be postponed. He provoked outcry by excising a reference to Turkey's secular constitution in documents submitted to Brussels.

"The Turkish economy is resilient to all kinds of developments at home and abroad but everyone should be ready for occasional slippages and problems with the EU," the country's economy minister said.

But the Turkish economy, a "rising star" under Mr Erdogan since the collapse of 2001, has been in free fall for several weeks.

This week the independent central bank raised interest rates 175 points to 15% to combat inflation, which leapt to almost 10% in May because of surging oil prices and domestic demand. The bank's target this year was 5%.

Similarly, the Turkish lira has lost more than 15% of its value, and the Istanbul stock market, which had risen 500% in four years, fell 11.5% this week alone.

But the Erdogan government has also come under sustained onslaught, both at home and in the EU, for its alleged failure to act over a suspected ultra-nationalist gang said to be behind the assassination of a judge and the shooting of three others by a lawyer in the council of state, the country's highest administrative court. The court had upheld the ban on women wearing the Islamic headscarf in public offices, including schools and universities.

With daily fatal clashes between Kurdish rebels and the armed forces in the deprived south-east of the country, the chief of staff has also come under attack for urging his fellow citizens to demonstrate against the government over the erosion of the secular state, prompting EU fears over civilian control of the military.

Turkish business leaders have called on the prime minister to drop religious issues and reboot the reform programme. Several have voiced concerns that the lack of progress in the accession talks could spell the end of Turkey's European ambitions; these fears have been heightened by repeated warnings from Olli Rehn, the EU's enlargement commissioner, that the talks are heading for a "train crash" over Cyprus and stalled reforms. Other business leaders are now saying that Turkey should position itself instead as a regional power in an area stretching from central Europe via the Caucasus to the Gulf.

[Otto]

Turkish economy is in no state for the European Union, not even in 50 years.

Lets see what happens with the Cyprus issue...

what do you think will happen?

[Aristotelian]

Originally Posted by Otto

Turkish economy is in no state for the European Union, not even in 50 years.

Lets see what happens with the Cyprus issue...

what do you think will happen?

I believe we will likely see the Turkish people sway towards a real democratic way of life in the future.So many already are.In many ways i feel very sorry for them because they are quite philosophical people if you actauly speak to some old people or the well educated.
It unfortunate that once again religion plays a part in the way they are portraid.Inoccent people face guilt on behalf of the fundamentalists.
The Greek church has no excuse either. But i think we will see Turkey moving into the EU (if WW3 doesnt accur) maybe after 10 years?NO joke.
It has a loooooooong way to go.

As for Cyprus, my little Cyprus ahhhh, i dream to see it free....its has nothing to do with Turkey realy.....dont want to get all political but the English play a big part in why Cyprus is in the state it is now.Sorry lads