Turkish delegation happy with Paris visit

The Turkish delegation, led by the prime minister, is happy about the meetings in Paris. It is said that if Chirac’s attitude doesn’t change and if the European Union Commission report on Turkey is positive, Turkey will receive a date to begin membership negotiations.

Still, these meetings should be assessed carefully. We need to be cautious. The current attitudes may change by December. Erdogan and the delegations’ happiness reflects only the current state of affairs.

Those who support Turkey’s admission to the EU without reservation in France are few in number. Political parties and nongovernmental organizations admit that Turkey is a very important country but argue that the EU is not ready to admit such a large state.

During this visit, a change in the media’s tone could be perceived.

The most conservative French daily, Le Figaro, in an article on its front page, curiously emphasized the economic aspects of Turkish-French relations instead of the EU.

In an article datelined Brussels, in the same newspaper, it was said that the EU Commission was getting ready to say "yes" to Turkey together with a detailed summary of the commission report, scheduled to be published in October. Right next to it, another article explained how important Turkey was for France and how solid the relations between the two countries were.

The same was true for the radio and television reporting. All commentators emphasized the economic aspects of the relationship. Figures were used to show how advantageous French trade links with Turkey were.

I have yet to get a hold of all the details of the Erdogan-Chirac meeting. Most probably, I’ll be able to make a more sound judgment in my article tomorrow. However, the current outlook of the Turkish officials who attended the meeting is positive.
This matter won’t be resolved without a fight

Without becoming a part of it, it is really impossible to understand the anti-Turkish attitude of the French public, or more appropriately, the French elite.

Nilufer Gole, an academic in France, used to tell me, but I would argue: "It couldn’t be that bad." Well, I was wrong. It could be even worse.

The French opposition is not against Turkish society. They cannot accept Turkey being a member of the European family and having the same status as them. They sinply can’t accept this.

When looked at closely, one finds out why they are so obsessive about it. A Turk, for a Frenchman, is not a part of Europe but something that belongs to the Middle East or Asia. It is a force that has fought against Europe throughout history.

The image of the "Turk," the developments since the Ottomans and the psychological factors that have affected them since then are so ingrained in the French psyche that it would be very hard to change them in the short-term. You listen to the arguments voiced and the excuses listed, and you suddenly become aware of the extent of the resistance you are facing.

Can this resistance be overcome through persuasion, promotion or information campaigns?

I don’t think so.

Campaigns should definitely be launched, but just as Nilufer Gole said, it should be known that the process of changing the way the French elite thinks won’t happen without a fight. Moreover, this fight will have to be waged by the French president and the government, not by Turkey, because the argument over Turkey includes some domestic political underpinnings as well.

Those who oppose Chirac within his own party are showing their displeasure by saying "no" to Turkey. Opposition parties also are waging an anti-Turkey campaign in order to weaken the ruling party.

It appears that historical and cultural factors in France, in addition to domestic political matters, play a part in the arguments over Turkey in France.

President Chirac wishes to say "yes" to Turkey without causing a fight. That’s why he underlines a few points in all his speeches.

* We made Turkey a promise 40 years ago. We accepted them as Europeans. At Helsinki we announced that they were a membership candidate. We cannot change our stance now. If the commission finds that they have fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria, we will have to start the negotiations.
* Negotiations with Turkey will last a long time. Turkey’s membership will not happen tomorrow. When that day comes, we will sit down and re-assess the situation.

Other leaders have adopted Chirac’s attitude. They don’t hide the fact that Turkey’s full membership is a long way off.

However, they are also aware that they cannot afford to refuse to start the negotiation process. That’s why, just to gratify their public, they appear to be thinking: "Let’s give them a date to start the negotiations. We won’t be the government when the time to make Turkey a full member is upon us. Let’s leave it to others to wage that battle."

Just be sure of this. Turkey’s full membership will be harder for Europe than Turkey trying to harmonize with EU norms. It will be harder for Europe to eradicate the image of "the Turk" from the hearts and minds of its people. It will take many long years for the EU public to accept Turkey.