BY FERAI TINC
HURRIYET- For the first time, senators from France's ruling party have cried foul at the position of their leader and the party itself. Senators from President Nicholas Sarkozy's Union for a Secular Movement (UMP) stated that they would object to a constitutional amendment to make Turkey's European Union membership subject to a referendum. The package of constitutional changes in question was passed by parliamentarians last week, and a final vote by deputies and senators is due on July 7. Former French Prime Minister Jean Pierre Raffarin stated that he was against holding a referendum on Turkey. According to Raffarin, pointing specifically to one country in the Constitution is improper. The same point was brought up by the party's minister responsible for European affairs. But Sarkozy isn't forsaking a political leadership based on fear and reluctance about Turkey's membership, something which already exists in France and the European public.
His stance didn't soften during his recent visit to Greece, either. During the visit, Sarkozy got a great deal of support from Athens. Speaking at the Greek Parliament, he said he stood with Greece and advocated that the separation on Cyprus be ended completely. These remarks got hearty applause, but they couldn't reach an agreement on the Turkey issue. Athens wants to avoid anything which might hinder Turkey's full membership bid. During the visit, opposition leader George Papandreou gave Sarkozy a letter saying that the promises which were made to Turkey about full membership should be kept and that Turkey should also fulfill all its responsibilities.
This whole debate has avoided one issue. Sarkozy is considered the leader of the campaign against Turkey's EU membership, but actually this is France's position. Sarkozy's policies shape France's stance on Turkey. Obviously, this situation has made relations between the two countries suffer. So is all this something new? No, of course not. It actually began with debate over the EU constitution and elections in France - in short, after Turkey's candidacy was officially accepted. But Turkey never too it seriously enough. Ankara says that it favors the EU, but it does nothing to develop innovative policies to overcome the biggest hurdles on this road. Some may call this characterization unfair. The government might ague that it has tried hard to reverse this situation, but to little avail. If it had been effective, results would have been seen. I don't mean boycotting French products or provoking crises. This is something which could get back on track by a proper determination of priorities. If your priority isn't supporting your domestic policies, but becoming a full EU member, then the policies and results you promote will be different. At a time when even French politicians call this decision isolating Turkey in the French Constitution an insult, feelings on this issue should have been expressed more effectively.