Turkey’s European adventure may end
In reports that cite EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen, it is said that the membership negotiations that will start in 2005 may not end with our full membership. Even if this is not said in the report, it may be included in the council’s decision on Dec. 17 that will give us a date to start the negotiations.
Moreover, it appears that the EU will be able to suspend negotiations any time it wants to. It is reported that they intend to include this clause in the report or the council decision.
Additionally, French President Jacques Chirac has reportedly ordered a law that would make the approval of the "Accession Treaty" that will be signed at the end of the negotiations in a public referendum mandatory. As France starts to amend its own constitution after the referendum on the EU Constitution, it will add an article that will tie Turkey’s membership to a public referendum.
One may say that these three preconditions that were not imposed on any other candidate are within the EU’s authority; their inclusion in our membership documentations will not change much; if Turkey continues its sincere efforts no one can suspend our membership or push us towards an alternative to full membership, like special status; there is no reason why we should upset ourselves with something that’s at least a decade away.
However, negotiations under such conditions will be both unfair and very dangerous. If this attitude that will create significant confusion on the matter of our membership was based on their belief that Turkey won’t be able to succeed in this process, we might not have been too critical. However, the EU intends to continue its pathological indecision on our membership.
This confusing picture had caused significant tension even between 1999 and 2004 candidacy process. Now, Turkey will have to accept the fact that it will have to concentrate most of its national will and efforts to remain committed to fulfilling the requirements of full membership over any other important national matters during negotiations that will be much longer, despite lacking the certainty of an end goal.
Greek Cypriots on the Cyprus problem, Greece on the Aegean problem, and most other EU member countries on the southeast and the "Armenian genocide," may suspend the negotiations if these matters are not resolved the way they want. The Christian Democrat CDU/CSU coalition, which will come to power in Germany in 2006, will be able to push the negotiations for full membership towards the goal of "special partnership." Eventually, after we make all these sacrifices, France and other countries that will follow it, will be able to reject our membership in a referendum.
No country can negotiate under such conditions, apart from accepting to act in a reptilian manner, like Altemur Kilic has been arguing for years.
Apart from all other reasons, the basis for such an arrangement is, without doubt, Western Europe’s historical prejudices against Turks, which is very akin to racism. However, we also have to admit our culpability in the current state of affairs. It was obvious that our submissiveness in Cyprus would increase their demands. If "liberal" commentators, academicians and Istanbul businessmen, who were ignorant of the rules of foreign affairs and negotiations, had not forced the government, institutes responsible for foreign affairs and the nation to accede to all the demands made by those who were prejudicial. We would not be in this place right now. Despite our large business conglomerates’ lack of success in the global arena, the foreign policy practiced by a country located at the most sensitive geographical area in the world, with the fourth largest military and 18th largest economy, need not have ended in this way. This strategic mistake made at the beginning of the process will hang over us like a cloud until the end. They will ask more and more.
If the preconditions to starting the negotiations are really these and can’t be changed despite all our efforts, I for one can do without EU membership.
