BY HADI ULUENGIN
HURRIYET- Even if most European countries favor us, I would like to ask this: What countries defended Ankara this week in Brussels during France's Pyrrhic victory over Turkey? Britain and Sweden! So are we a country from the English Channel or the Baltic Sea? Of course not! What do we have to do with foggy waters and northern fjords? As I've been emphasizing for two days in this space, theoretically, we should be called Mediterranean. London and Stockholm have been arguing that Turkey's perspective for full European Union membership should be confirmed. In return for this, Paris, with whom we share the same coast, set forth its final opinion by saying that Asia Minor has no place in Europe.
So where is that Meditarrenean solidarity? Where is the southern psychology? Of course, if you ask French President Nicolas Sarkozy, this solidarity and psychology will be proved by giving Ankara the role of a `central pillar' in a Mediterranean union which is unlikely to ever happen. As I said yesterday, no, Monsieur Sarkozy, we didn't fall into that sea, and merci beaucoup!
No, we don't want it, because there will be no Mediterranean union, a project frowned on by EU countries, in particular Germany, since the beginning. Probably they want to construct this unreasonable project on the foundation of the Barcelona process, which brought Mediterranean countries together for the first time12 years ago. But it won't be accepted, because the slippery soil of that foundation is fill dirt, just like the Catalan Harbor. Even minor North African countries didn't take it seriously, and most of heads of state didn't `honor' it when its 10th anniversary was celebrated in 2005.
But Sarkozy is still trying to push this vague, inconsistent plan. What's more, he was so kind as to provide Turkey, which has been always been land-based, ethnologically, sociologically and historically, with the duty of a central pillar. Does he think that we'll be trapped on this issue?
In addition, Sarkozy didn't win a victory by excluding any mention of Turkey's `accession' in the EU declaration. But it should be accepted that this is a relative `concession' given by other members to Paris. In fact its aim is to overcome Paris' hurdles within the Brussels mechanism. In other words, when members said yes to Sarkozy's blackmail of Ankara, they overcame the Paris hindrance and thus Sarkozy showed the French public that he was `standing strong.' But this mischief is just one of the natural bumps that we'll face on that long, narrow road. But be careful! I used the word `road,' not `route' as sailors say. Because I think it would be best if we steered clear of the Mediterranean union issue!