Verhofstadt: Negotiations Should Begin Soon

The Prime Minister gave Zaman an exclusive interview during which he said the issue will be discussed at the December 17th European Union (EU) leaders summit in Brussels, but that the Belgian government is for starting negotiations as soon as possible. Verhofstadt emphasized his objection to postponing negotiations with Turkey until the EU Constitution referenda saying: “Starting negotiations with Turkey and approving the EU Constitution are two separate issues. They shouldn’t be confused.”

Verhofstadt argued that the important thing is for Turkey to receive a negotiation start date within 2005 at the December summit and said a few months earlier or later should not cause any problems. He also touched on issues concerning Ankara from the October 6th progress report released by the EU Commission. Verhofstadt said he is against the suggestion to place permanent restrictions on the free movement of Turks within the EU. The Belgian Prime Minister pointed out, however, that when Turkey becomes a member, temporary restrictions on free movement could be applied as was done with Spain.

As for the negotiations being open-ended, Verhofstadt said that all negotiations are open-ended by nature. If the process is automatic, what is the point of negotiating, asked Verhofstadt. He gave Norway as the only example of a country that entered negotiations but did not become a member and said that decision was of their own free will. Norwegians refused membership based on a referendum, he explained.

The Belgian Prime Minister is harshly opposed to a “privileged partnership” because Turkey has a different religion. Turkey’s Muslim identity is an advantage, Verhofstadt says, since the possibility of a clash of civilizations exists. “There is such a risk. The best answer to this risk is Turkey’s membership. Turkey could be an example with its secular democracy and free market economy to North African countries and the other Muslim countries,” Verhofstadt explained.