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CYPRUS CLAUSES IN EU REPORT DISAPPOINTING, MERCAN SAYS
Fulya Ozerkan
Turkish Daily News
Oct 1 2006
Cyprus-related provisions of the document refrain from recalling
Turkey's steps for a settlement of the decades-old dispute and echo top
EU officials urging Ankara to normalize its relations with EU-member
Greek Cyprus and allow in its ships and airplanes
Cyprus clauses in the strongly worded European Parliament document
on Turkey's progress toward eventual European Union membership seem
to be in the shadow of calls from European parliamentarians and EU
officials urging Ankara to reinvigorate the reform process.
In a non-binding report adopted last week, the European Parliament
chided Turkey for its failure to meet EU requirements and demanded
that Ankara fulfill its obligation to open up its sea and air ports
to Greek Cypriot vessels and planes under a customs union protocol.
"I was disappointed mostly by Cyprus passages in the report," a senior
ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy, Murat Mercan,
told the Turkish Daily News.
"It could have been more balanced," he added.
Cyprus-related provisions of the document refrain from recalling
Turkey's steps for a settlement of the decades-old dispute and echo top
EU officials urging Ankara to normalize its relations with EU-member
Greek Cyprus and allow in its ships and airplanes.
Turkey, however, says it will maintain its stance unless the 25-nation
bloc makes good on a pledge to end the economic isolation of northern
Cyprus. Brussels rejects any linkage between the ports issue and the
lifting of sanctions on Turkish Cypriots and has warned Turkey that
failure to fulfill its obligations could cause a setback in its EU
accession negotiations, which opened last October.
Similarly, the European Parliament's report warned that the "lack
of progress in this regard will have serious implications for the
negotiation process and could even bring it to a halt.
"I would expect the report to encompass more encouraging clauses that
acknowledge Turkish steps on Cyprus," Mercan added.
Greek Cypriots, however, welcomed the European Parliament's Turkey
report, with the Greek Cypriot press describing the document as a
"slap [in the face] for Ankara."
Pros and cons:
European parliamentarians mostly focused on reform pace in their
report, warning Ankara that it must accelerate far-reaching reforms
if it wanted to become a member of the EU.
They also noted Turkey had shown "insufficient progress" in the
areas of freedom of expression, religious and minority rights,
women's rights and the rule of law since the opening of entry talks.
The report's author, Dutch parliamentarian Camiel Eurlings, who
admitted that the report was "tough" but "fair," urged Ankara to see
it as a "motivation to speed up reforms."
But despite the presence of controversial articles, European
parliamentarians voted certain clauses favorable to Ankara, which
expressed dissatisfaction with the report but appreciated European
parliamentarians' efforts to prevent further damages to Turkish-EU
ties.
"This report is more positive than another document adopted by the
European Parliament in 2005," said Mercan, who was one of the Turkish
lawmakers lobbying European parliamentarians in Brussels and Strasbourg
in a bid to change the critical report, which was tougher when it was
first adopted at the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee
earlier last month.
He cited an emphasis on market economy, condemnation of terrorism
by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and extending of
solidarity with Turkey in the fight against terrorism as positive
elements in the European Parliament document.
To the content of Ankara, the European Parliament deleted a
controversial clause that would have sought to make recognition by
Turkey of an alleged genocide of Armenians at the hands of the late
Ottoman Empire a pre-condition for full membership.
But the report still called on Turkey to "acknowledge the Armenian
genocide" before it can join the EU, with European parliamentarians
saying it was "indispensable" for Turkey to "come to terms with and
recognize its past."
Ankara is now awaiting a progress report from the EU's executive arm,
the commission. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn is to travel
to Turkey on Monday before the release of the key report.
Parliament has been considering an EU-inspired reform package designed
to meet EU requirements, and Rehn earlier said he expected legal
changes to be approved in October. Last-minute legal reforms could
help Turkey's case in the progress report on reforms but EU officials
have said they will wait and see if the contents include real progress
on key issues.
From: Baghdasarian
Fulya Ozerkan
Turkish Daily News
Oct 1 2006
Cyprus-related provisions of the document refrain from recalling
Turkey's steps for a settlement of the decades-old dispute and echo top
EU officials urging Ankara to normalize its relations with EU-member
Greek Cyprus and allow in its ships and airplanes
Cyprus clauses in the strongly worded European Parliament document
on Turkey's progress toward eventual European Union membership seem
to be in the shadow of calls from European parliamentarians and EU
officials urging Ankara to reinvigorate the reform process.
In a non-binding report adopted last week, the European Parliament
chided Turkey for its failure to meet EU requirements and demanded
that Ankara fulfill its obligation to open up its sea and air ports
to Greek Cypriot vessels and planes under a customs union protocol.
"I was disappointed mostly by Cyprus passages in the report," a senior
ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy, Murat Mercan,
told the Turkish Daily News.
"It could have been more balanced," he added.
Cyprus-related provisions of the document refrain from recalling
Turkey's steps for a settlement of the decades-old dispute and echo top
EU officials urging Ankara to normalize its relations with EU-member
Greek Cyprus and allow in its ships and airplanes.
Turkey, however, says it will maintain its stance unless the 25-nation
bloc makes good on a pledge to end the economic isolation of northern
Cyprus. Brussels rejects any linkage between the ports issue and the
lifting of sanctions on Turkish Cypriots and has warned Turkey that
failure to fulfill its obligations could cause a setback in its EU
accession negotiations, which opened last October.
Similarly, the European Parliament's report warned that the "lack
of progress in this regard will have serious implications for the
negotiation process and could even bring it to a halt.
"I would expect the report to encompass more encouraging clauses that
acknowledge Turkish steps on Cyprus," Mercan added.
Greek Cypriots, however, welcomed the European Parliament's Turkey
report, with the Greek Cypriot press describing the document as a
"slap [in the face] for Ankara."
Pros and cons:
European parliamentarians mostly focused on reform pace in their
report, warning Ankara that it must accelerate far-reaching reforms
if it wanted to become a member of the EU.
They also noted Turkey had shown "insufficient progress" in the
areas of freedom of expression, religious and minority rights,
women's rights and the rule of law since the opening of entry talks.
The report's author, Dutch parliamentarian Camiel Eurlings, who
admitted that the report was "tough" but "fair," urged Ankara to see
it as a "motivation to speed up reforms."
But despite the presence of controversial articles, European
parliamentarians voted certain clauses favorable to Ankara, which
expressed dissatisfaction with the report but appreciated European
parliamentarians' efforts to prevent further damages to Turkish-EU
ties.
"This report is more positive than another document adopted by the
European Parliament in 2005," said Mercan, who was one of the Turkish
lawmakers lobbying European parliamentarians in Brussels and Strasbourg
in a bid to change the critical report, which was tougher when it was
first adopted at the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee
earlier last month.
He cited an emphasis on market economy, condemnation of terrorism
by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and extending of
solidarity with Turkey in the fight against terrorism as positive
elements in the European Parliament document.
To the content of Ankara, the European Parliament deleted a
controversial clause that would have sought to make recognition by
Turkey of an alleged genocide of Armenians at the hands of the late
Ottoman Empire a pre-condition for full membership.
But the report still called on Turkey to "acknowledge the Armenian
genocide" before it can join the EU, with European parliamentarians
saying it was "indispensable" for Turkey to "come to terms with and
recognize its past."
Ankara is now awaiting a progress report from the EU's executive arm,
the commission. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn is to travel
to Turkey on Monday before the release of the key report.
Parliament has been considering an EU-inspired reform package designed
to meet EU requirements, and Rehn earlier said he expected legal
changes to be approved in October. Last-minute legal reforms could
help Turkey's case in the progress report on reforms but EU officials
have said they will wait and see if the contents include real progress
on key issues.
From: Baghdasarian