BY SAMI KOHEN
MILLIYET- Just after setting down in Beijing, where he is now paying an official visit to forge better French-Sino relations, French President Jacques Chirac was asked by a reporter from French state television a very critical question on a timely issue. Which issue? France’s stance on Turkey’s possible entry into the European Union!
That the French media raised the issue to Chirac even in the midst of a visit on the other side of the world shows how sensitive the ‘Turkish issue’ is to France’s domestic politics. As our Ambassador to Paris Uluc Ozulker commented, the French are now debating their own identity by using the Turkish entry issue as a catalyst for discussion.
France is completely free, Chirac told the TV reporter, to either withdraw or use its veto during the EU’s negotiations with Turkey. Moreover, both Chirac and Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin have asserted that Paris would be open to debate the matter in its Parliament before EU leaders gather in December to decide whether or not to open membership negotiations with Turkey. Chirac also said that the French public might vote in a referendum whether to allow Turkey in.
We’re expecting the French Parliament to discuss the issue before the EU’s December summit. But what would happen if the majority of French deputies express opposition to our entry? What would Chirac say at the summit? Would he ask his fellow EU leaders not to set a date for Turkey’s membership talks?
The reason Chirac’s administration behaves like this can unfortunately be chalked up to French public opinion, which largely opposes Turkey’s entry. Moreover, public opinion in other EU countries (even Germany) is leaning the same way.
However, it’s dishonest to adopt such a ‘populist’ standing, saying, ‘What can we do? This is what the public wants,’ and in the process forgetting about their commitments and responsibilities in line with EU rules. What will happen to the promises made to Turkey or the written engagements undertaken by EU leaders then? The European Commission’s recommendation unfortunately includes a number of clauses ignoring these promises and commitments such as the one stating that the negotiations would be open-ended.
EU leaders are currently telling Turkey not to let itself be distracted by such details. ‘What’s important now is to start the membership talks, the rest are details which should be dealt with in the future,’ they argue. I wish things were that simple. However, it’s diplomats who know the following saying the best: ‘The devil lies in the details’.