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AUSTRIA CLAIMS 'DOUBLE STANDARDS' ON TURKISH TALKS
By Haig Simonian in Vienna, Daniel Dombey in Brussels and Raphael, Minder in Strasbourg
Financial Times, UK
Sept 29 2005
Wolfgang Schussel, Austria's chancellor, yesterday sent an
uncompromising message on Turkey's bid to join the European Union,
increasing the likelihood that talks will only begin if the EU also
moves towards starting negotiations with Croatia.
Some western diplomats warn that such a deal, in which Turkey would
begin its membership talks on time next Monday and Croatia would
follow soon after, could hurt efforts to track down war criminals in
the former Yugoslavia.
In an interview with the FT, Mr Schussel called for the EU to abandon
the idea that the talks with Turkey should be exclusively aimed
at membership.
He also denounced the EU's "double standards" over Croatia, whose
membership bid is stalled because of a dispute over Ante Gotovina, an
alleged war criminal. "We need an alternative that would ensure that
Turkey would remain bonded as strongly as possible to the EU," he said.
"If we trust Turkey to make further progress we should trust Croatia
too . .. It is in Europe's interest to start negotiations with Croatia
immediately."
Austria denies it is linking the cases of Turkey and Croatia in
any way.
However, EU diplomats now believe a deal on Turkey will only be
possible if the EU moves closer to starting talks with Croatia.
Most EU governments say Vienna's demands on Turkey - particularly its
call to delete a reference to EU accession as the goal of the talks -
are unacceptable. But Austria, like all EU states, needs to give its
assent if talks are to begin.
The dispute is expected to go to an emergency meeting of foreign
ministers on Sunday night, hours before the scheduled start of talks.
Diplomats say such a high-profile meeting could make it impossible
for Austria to give up its position on Turkey without gaining ground
on Croatia, with which it has cultivated close relations.
"It is not fair to leave Croatia in an eternal waiting room," said
Mr Schussel. "I don't understand the logic."
Carla del Ponte, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, has recently indicated that
Croatia has stepped up its efforts against Mr Gotovina.
But some western officials argue that beginning talks with Croatia
while Mr Gotovina is at large will set a bad precedent for efforts
to track down Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb
indicted war criminals.
* Concerns about Ankara's bid to join the EU were underlined yesterday
by a non-binding resolution on Turkey approved by the European
parliament. In a move likely to increase resentment in Ankara,
MEPs urged Turkey to recognise that the killing of Armenians in 1915
amounted to genocide. MEPs also delayed approval of a customs union
agreement between Turkey and the EU, in an attempt to increase pressure
on Turkey to normalise political and economic ties with Cyprus.
By Haig Simonian in Vienna, Daniel Dombey in Brussels and Raphael, Minder in Strasbourg
Financial Times, UK
Sept 29 2005
Wolfgang Schussel, Austria's chancellor, yesterday sent an
uncompromising message on Turkey's bid to join the European Union,
increasing the likelihood that talks will only begin if the EU also
moves towards starting negotiations with Croatia.
Some western diplomats warn that such a deal, in which Turkey would
begin its membership talks on time next Monday and Croatia would
follow soon after, could hurt efforts to track down war criminals in
the former Yugoslavia.
In an interview with the FT, Mr Schussel called for the EU to abandon
the idea that the talks with Turkey should be exclusively aimed
at membership.
He also denounced the EU's "double standards" over Croatia, whose
membership bid is stalled because of a dispute over Ante Gotovina, an
alleged war criminal. "We need an alternative that would ensure that
Turkey would remain bonded as strongly as possible to the EU," he said.
"If we trust Turkey to make further progress we should trust Croatia
too . .. It is in Europe's interest to start negotiations with Croatia
immediately."
Austria denies it is linking the cases of Turkey and Croatia in
any way.
However, EU diplomats now believe a deal on Turkey will only be
possible if the EU moves closer to starting talks with Croatia.
Most EU governments say Vienna's demands on Turkey - particularly its
call to delete a reference to EU accession as the goal of the talks -
are unacceptable. But Austria, like all EU states, needs to give its
assent if talks are to begin.
The dispute is expected to go to an emergency meeting of foreign
ministers on Sunday night, hours before the scheduled start of talks.
Diplomats say such a high-profile meeting could make it impossible
for Austria to give up its position on Turkey without gaining ground
on Croatia, with which it has cultivated close relations.
"It is not fair to leave Croatia in an eternal waiting room," said
Mr Schussel. "I don't understand the logic."
Carla del Ponte, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, has recently indicated that
Croatia has stepped up its efforts against Mr Gotovina.
But some western officials argue that beginning talks with Croatia
while Mr Gotovina is at large will set a bad precedent for efforts
to track down Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb
indicted war criminals.
* Concerns about Ankara's bid to join the EU were underlined yesterday
by a non-binding resolution on Turkey approved by the European
parliament. In a move likely to increase resentment in Ankara,
MEPs urged Turkey to recognise that the killing of Armenians in 1915
amounted to genocide. MEPs also delayed approval of a customs union
agreement between Turkey and the EU, in an attempt to increase pressure
on Turkey to normalise political and economic ties with Cyprus.